It's Forever---the Family Album Vol 2---A Chicago Fire Story
by mom2jlg
Summary: More milestones for the Severide family ..beginning with the arrival of their daughter. Final Chapter is up now!
1. Chapter 1

**It's Forever…**

**The Family Album, Volume 2**

**Chapter 1-Maggie Grace**

Kelly couldn't shake the nervous feeling he had that something was going to happen. He wasn't usually like this…he didn't get premonitions or anything like that. But today? Today just _felt _weird.

So many things had gone on over the past few months that he felt like he barely had time to take a breath. They had finally…_finally_…moved back into their house after living in a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment for seven months. It was pretty remarkable, actually. Seven months was actually really quick for having to renovate an entire home after it had been gutted by a fire. But his buddy and fellow firefighter Matt Casey had worked his ass off to get things done…even doing a lot of the work himself to make certain it was done right. That and he had great insurance.

The twins, Andy and Jesse, were in first grade and they were looking ahead to starting t-ball again in another month or so. And they were bugging him to sign them up for Pee-Wee football in the fall. He and Alyssa were still discussing (arguing) that.

He had just wrapped up a consulting gig on the pilot episode of "Chicago Fire" a TV show about the men and women of the CFD that the producers and everyone else attached to the project were hoping to get in the fall line-up. Kelly had spent what was supposed to be just a couple of weeks…but turned into almost six months…working with an actor who was supposed to play the lieutenant in charge of the Rescue Squad on the show. But the more Morgan Craddock, "Hollywood", learned about being a firefighter…the more he wanted to know. There was the on-the-job stuff at the firehouse, and the Academy, but a lot of it was on his own time…hanging out with the guy, having him over to dinner, to play with the twins, whatever.

And it seemed to have paid off. Kelly had watched the dailies with the director and the rest of the production staff…and he was pretty sure that the general public would believe that Hollywood was the real deal.

Alyssa and her sister-in-law Kathy had started a not-for-profit…a thrift shop that they operated in partnership with their parish to help pay forward some of the kindness and good will people had shared with their families when they really needed it.

But the biggest event was yet to come. They were counting down the days till their daughter arrived.

Kelly couldn't believe he was going to be a daddy again. There was a time in his life when he would have laughed in the face of anyone who even suggested it…but then he met Alyssa…and the twins came along…and now he couldn't imagine life without them.

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He poured himself a cup of coffee and grabbed one of the St. Patrick's Day cookies left over from Andy and Jesse's class party. As usual…Lyssa had made way too many. Or maybe it was on purpose…whenever he brought in something she'd made the entire team acted like they hadn't seen food for a month.

He took his coffee mug and his cookie and straddled a chair at the end of the table. He'd barely gotten settled when Casey took the seat next to him.

"How'd the boys' school thing go yesterday?" he asked.

Kelly nodded.

"It was fine…I just had to take the cookies and stuff over. Lyssa wasn't feeling good."

"I can imagine…what are we? Two weeks out? Three?"

"T minus twelve days and counting. She's scheduled for a C-section on the thirtieth."

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At home, Alyssa pulled herself out of bed. Lying down didn't help. She just wished the nagging ache in her back would go away…instead it was getting worse. And to make matters worse…she had to pee again.

She couldn't wait to have this baby.

Downstairs in the kitchen she fixed herself a cup of tea and a piece of toast. She had no appetite at all. She set the cup down on the table and as she went to pull the chair out she was seized by a terrible pain in the small of her back. She straightened up quickly…and she felt something wet in her panties.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation and waddled off toward the bathroom again.

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The bells went off for the third time.

"Engine 51, Truck 81, Ambulance 61, Squad 3…"

The team rolled out the door…

"What'd they say this is again?" Mills asked.

They'd been so busy…it was all starting to run together.

"Guess we'll find out when we get there…" Severide replied.

He just couldn't shake that uneasy feeling.

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They pulled up on the scene…

"Oh my God…" Kelly groaned.

A charter bus…crashed into the concrete support of a viaduct…spun around…and took about a half dozen other vehicles with it. One mini-van was torn in two…and its contents strewn all over the highway.

This was gonna be a long one.

The firefighters started checking on the victims…trying to figure out where they were needed first.

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Alyssa couldn't get comfortable…her back was killing her.

She reached for her phone and hit number one on her speed dial.

It went straight to voicemail. She didn't bother to leave a message…and she hit number two.

This time she did leave a message.

Then she hit number three.

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Back at the house, Kelly climbed wearily off the Squad and shrugged off his gear.

What a mess…he just went from one vehicle to another with the Jaws…he might as well have been carrying a can opener…that's what it felt like anyway…like he was opening tin cans left and right.

More than twenty victims…eight critical.

He just wanted to shower, change and grab a bite to eat.

Then he'd call and check on Lyssa.

"Severide!" Chief called.

Kelly looked up.

"Message for you in dispatch…Alyssa went into labor! She's down at Lakeshore!"

He quickly got out of his turnouts and boots…and ran to grab his keys.

There was no way in hell he was going to miss this baby being born!

"We'll be there as soon as we can!" Shay called out to him as he ran for his car.

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He ran down the hall to Labor and Delivery…and skidded to a halt at the nurse's station.

"My wife…" he gasped as he tried to get his breath. "Alyssa Severide?"

"Room three…" the nurse told him.

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He burst into the room…

"Lyssa!"

Alyssa was in the middle of a contraction and the nurse who was checking the monitor looked up.

"You must be Kelly…" she said.

Kelly nodded…too out of breath to answer.

The nurse quickly left the room. A few moments later she came back with a set of scrubs.

"Put these on…we need to get your wife to the OR…she insisted we had to wait for you."

She grabbed Kelly by the shoulders and shoved him toward the bathroom.

As the door closed behind him, Kelly thought to himself that this woman had all the charm of Nurse Ratched in that movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".

He quickly changed into the scrubs and stuffed his dirty shirt and pants into a plastic bag that was hanging on the back of the door. He washed his face and hands as fast as he could…getting some of the sweat and grime off his body…before he headed back into the room.

He hurried to his wife's side and took her hand in his…feeling the crush of her grip as another contraction grabbed her.

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A doctor came in to place her epidural.

He handed Kelly a clipboard with a form on it…and Kelly scribbled his name. Alyssa was a little preoccupied.

Now what was he supposed to do?

Nurse Ratched came back and shoved a wheeled stool toward him and motioned for him to take a seat. She helped Alyssa into a sitting position and directed Kelly to move directly in front of her.

Alyssa draped her arms around him and rested her head on his strong shoulder. The doctor spread the gown she wore open in the back and Nurse Ratched began to paint the red/orange Betadine scrub onto her skin.

"It's okay, Baby…" Kelly whispered into Lyssa's ear. "Just a little while longer and we get to meet our little girl…"

Alyssa caught her breath as the needle went into her back…then once it was in place they nurse helped her to lie down again. Kelly reached for the damp washcloth on the bedside table and gently dabbed the sweat from her forehead.

"How's that Alyssa?" the doctor asked.

"Okay…" she answered.

He made one last adjustment on the rate of the medication flowing into her spine.

Then the door opened and three more nurses came in to take her to the OR.

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Kelly held his wife's hand as they went down the hall. Another nurse stopped him right before they took Alyssa in…and led him to another room.

This nurse was considerably nicer than Nurse Ratched…as she handed him a cap and a pair of shoe covers…and instructed him to wash his hands again, up past his elbows. Then when he was done she helped him into a gown.

Once he was reasonably sterile she led Kelly into the operating room to a stool right next to Alyssa's head.

They had set up a surgical drape so he couldn't see her tummy. He wanted to see his daughter come into the world…but he wasn't so sure about watching Dr. Mabis cut into his wife…

He sat down and just stroked Lyssa's hair…which was gathered into a French braid.

"You ready, Baby?" he asked.

Lyssa nodded.

"Are you?"

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It didn't take long at all…just a few minutes really from the time he sat down till he heard a loud, healthy sounding cry.

"Here's your little girl…" Dr. Mabis said.

The nurses and the neonatologist took the baby over to the warmer and started to check her over and clean her off.

Lyssa nodded to Kelly…and he walked over to the table and looked over the nurses' shoulders at his baby girl.

She was kicking and screaming…not at all happy with whatever they were doing to her.

"Six pounds, one ounce…eighteen and a half inches long…" one nurse said.

"Does she have a name?" another nurse asked.

"Yeah…" Kelly answered. "Margaret Grace."

The nurse wrote it down on the delivery record.

Once the doctor had completed his exam…the first nurse wrapped Margaret Grace into a blanket…and placed her in her Daddy's arms.

Kelly carried the teeny, tiny bundle back over to Lyssa and sat back down on his stool.

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He showed Lyssa their daughter.

"Hi Maggie…" Lyssa whispered with tears in her eyes.

Kelly teared up a little himself…

"Say hi to Mommy, Baby Girl…"

At the sound of his voice, Maggie opened her eyes…

"Blue eyes…" he whispered. "Beautiful blue eyes…"

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When they took Lyssa and the baby to Recovery, Kelly reluctantly tore himself from her side and went out to the waiting room.

Benny was there with the boys…and the team from the firehouse.

He took his dad and the twins back.

"Guys…wanna see your sister?" he asked.

They ran for the bed.

Kelly picked up Andy…and Benny picked up Jesse so they could see the tiny bundle cradled in Alyssa's arms.

"What's her name?" Andy asked…in awe of the little girl.

"Yeah…what's her name?" Jesse asked…equally enamored.

"Maggie…" Kelly told them. "Maggie Grace…"

He looked up at Benny.

"Your mother's name…" Benny whispered as the tears welled up.

Kelly nodded.

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Hours later…once they were settled in a room upstairs…Alyssa finally drifted off to sleep.

And Kelly sat in the recliner beside her bed, unable to tear his eyes from the baby girl snuggled in his arms.

"Hey, Baby Girl…" he whispered.

Baby Maggie opened her eyes to the sound of his voice.

"Daddy's been waitin' a long time to see you. Such a beautiful girl…and you've got so many people to love you and take care of you. You've got Mommy and Daddy…and two big brothers. You've got your Grandpa…and your aunts and your uncles…and all your cousins. Everybody can't wait to watch you grow…"

He stroked one finger lightly along her baby soft, pink cheek. She was absolutely perfect.

"I can't wait to watch you grow…we're gonna do so many things together. We're gonna go to the park…and the zoo…and the beach. Daddy's gonna teach you to ride a bike…and to swim…and we're gonna play…we're gonna have fun…"

Baby Maggie opened her mouth in a great big yawn…

"But right now I think we should just take a little nap…whaddya say, Baby Girl?"

He kissed Maggie on the top of her head…and lifted her onto his shoulder. And he contentedly rubbed her little back as he listened to her soft little breaths.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2-Baby Gifts**

Kelly opened Alyssa's door and carefully helped his wife out of the car. She was still so weak it scared him.

Seven days ago their daughter had been born. Initially everything went fine. Alyssa had a C-section because that's the way she had had the twins. At the time they were worried about her trying to give birth the "old-fashioned way" because she had suffered a closed head injury when her ex kicked in her apartment door and nearly beat her to death. It was nine years ago…almost to the day…

Having a repeat C-section made sense…but she'd experienced some heavy bleeding…and required a transfusion after Maggie was born. Then she had developed a fever. The first couple days were tense…and Kelly stayed at the hospital. He took care of his baby girl…feeding her those tiny bottles…changing the tiny diapers. He gave her her first bath…and he counted her little fingers and toes about a hundred times.

Finally, on about day four, Lyssa turned a corner. Her fever came down as the antibiotics kicked in…and Kelly easily fell into his old role of coach/trainer/cheerleader, encouraging her to get up and get out of bed so she could go home. He walked laps with her around the maternity floor. He sent Leslie on at least one smoothie run every day…and Mills and Dawson came every night with thick, hearty soups and pasta and _arroz con pollo_.

Now she had been fever-free for over twenty-four hours and her blood counts had held within normal range for the past two days…and Dr. Mabis said she could go home.

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Once Lyssa was out of the car, he opened the back passenger door and popped the car seat out. With Maggie in one hand, he slipped his free arm 'round his wife and took both his girls into the house, out of the March wind.

"We're home!" he called out.

A moment later Andy and Jesse came bounding out from the playroom.

"Mommy!"

"Mommy! Mommy's home!"

They moved to hug Alyssa.

"Whoa! Whoa! Easy, guys!" Kelly cautioned. "Take it easy with your mom! She's been really sick, so you gotta be gentle."

Alyssa held out her arms and Andy and Jesse approached her with uncharacteristic caution. She hugged her boys.

In the meantime, Kelly had set Maggie's carrier on the dining room table. He shrugged his leather jacket off…then set about unzipping the lambs' wool cover that basically eliminated the need for a bulky snowsuit.

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The boys came to check out the little pink bundle that was their sister.

"Can I hold her?" Andy asked.

"Can I?" said Jesse.

"Sure you can…but you gotta wash your hands first." Kelly told them.

The twins ran off to the bathroom to clean up…and Benny Severide watched from the kitchen door as his son released the straps on the carrier and lifted Maggie out.

"C'mon Baby Girl…" Kelly said softly. "You wanna check out your house?"

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Kelly and Alyssa headed for the living room…as Andy and Jesse came running out of the bathroom.

While Alyssa settled gingerly into the sofa, the boys climbed up ready to hold their sister.

Kelly gently laid Maggie in Jesse's arms, and then sat down beside him.

"You gotta make sure her head doesn't flop around…" he told Jesse.

"Hi Baby…" Jesse whispered. "Remember me? I'm your big brother Jesse."

"And I'm your big brother Andy…" Andy added as he stroked his sister's downy soft hair with one finger.

Maggie opened her eyes…and looked up at Jesse.

"Okay…let Andy have a turn." Alyssa said.

Kelly took Maggie from Jesse and placed her in Andy's arms.

Andy held the baby for a few minutes…then he started to fidget.

Kelly took Maggie back and handed her over to Alyssa.

"Go play, guys…" he said.

The twins went thundering off to the playroom, passing Benny as they went.

"How's it goin', Pop?" Kelly asked.

"One's gonna be a piece of cake…" he said tiredly. "They've been bouncing off the walls since seven this morning. They were so excited about you coming home."

Alyssa smiled.

"It's good to be home."

She looked down at her daughter.

"Do you wanna hold her, Grandpa?"

"I thought you'd never ask…" Benny said eagerly as he came to take his granddaughter.

He sank down into the sofa with the baby in his arms…and Kelly reached for the fuzzy throw that was folded over the back. He wrapped it around Alyssa and then sat down beside her.

It _was_ good to be home…he still had things to unload from the car, but that could wait a few more minutes.

He reached out to Alyssa and gently drew her back against him. He folded her into his arms and snuggled her close.

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He'd just gone out to unload the car when Casey pulled into the drive behind him.

Kelly turned around…and went to meet his friend.

"Hey…" he said as he clasped Matt's hand and pulled him into a "man hug"… "What're you doin' here?"

"I just came by to bring Maggie a baby gift…"

Kelly looked at him like he'd lost his mind. Casey had made the beautiful rocking chair that was sitting upstairs in the nursery right now. What more gifts could he have up his sleeve?

The men went around the back of Casey's pick-up truck…and Matt pulled back the tarp, then unhooked the bungee cords…and finally unwrapped the packing quilt.

Severide's jaw just about his the pavement…

"Matt…this is too much…"

Casey slapped him on the back, bringing him out of his trance.

"C'mon…let's take it in."

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The two men carried the gift inside…into the living room where Alyssa was sitting with Maggie.

Benny had gone to make her a cup of tea…and the twins were in the playroom.

"Guys…Uncle Matt's here!" Casey called out.

They laid Casey's incredible gift on the floor in the center of the room.

Alyssa's eyes went wide…Andy and Jesse skidded to a halt…and Benny was stunned speechless.

They all stared at the hand carved wooden cradle…stained a warm caramel color…with pink flowers and ivy stenciled around the tall headboard…and a heart cutout…with the heart, painted pink, dangling down on a hook and eye.

"My God…Matt…it's beautiful…" Alyssa said. "It's absolutely beautiful!"

"You really outdid yourself…" Benny added.

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And that night…after the boys had their showers and changed into their pj's…they crowded into Alyssa and Kelly's room to peer at their sister, lying in the cradle…

Jesse touched one finger to her tiny hand, curled around the satin edge of the blanket.

"Night-night, Baby…" he whispered.

"G'night, Maggie…" Andy whispered.

"We're right down the hall…" Jesse added.

Kelly smiled as he sat on the edge of the bed, Alyssa wrapped in his arms…watching his sons with their baby sister…he couldn't help feeling proud.

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After they tore the boys away from the cradle and Kelly had tucked them into their beds he came back to his room and stripped off his shirt and jeans. He climbed into bed beside his wife and pulled her close.

"Welcome home, Baby…" he whispered.

"I bet you're happy to sleep in your own bed…" she teased.

Kelly had slept at the hospital with her and Maggie while Benny stayed with the boys.

"I'm happy my girls are home…safe and sound." He told her.

Alyssa gently stroked his face…she knew she had an amazing husband.

"I love you, Kelly…" she whispered. "I love you more than anything…"

And he leaned in to kiss her tenderly.

"Love you more…" he whispered back.

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Over the next few days people were constantly filing in and out of the house…family, friends, and neighbors…everyone wanted to see the baby.

They had been home about a week when they got a very special visitor…bearing an even more special gift.

Kelly opened the door.

"Aunt Kathy! C'mon in!"

His mother's twin sister stepped into the house…carrying a huge box.

"What's this?" he asked.

"You'll see." His aunt replied. "Now…where's that little girl?"

Kelly set the box on the dining room table and ushered his aunt into the living room.

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Alyssa was curled up in curve of the sectional couch with Maggie in her arms. She looked up and smiled when Aunt Kathy came into the room.

"Aunt Kathy…it's so good to see you."

Kathy leaned down to kiss Alyssa's cheek…and stare at the precious little bundle wrapped in her arms.

"Do you want to hold her?" Lyssa asked.

Aunt Kathy reached out to take the baby…and she sat down.

"Do you want something to drink, Aunt Kathy?" Kelly asked. "Something to eat?"

The woman shook her head…

"No…that's all right."

She could barely tear her eyes away from her great-niece.

Kelly came around the end of the couch and sat down beside his wife. He reached out to drape his arm around her shoulders…and gave her a quick little kiss on her temple.

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Baby Maggie opened her eyes and looked up at the woman who held her.

Kathy's lips curled into a small smile.

"Look at those eyes…" she said to Kelly in a voice so soft, it was practically a whisper.

Maggie's eyes had darkened into the most unusual shade…a cross between his blue eyes, and his mother's green ones. The combination was a stunning blue…almost a turquoise…or a teal.

And she had little wisps of strawberry blonde hair coming in.

Kelly's mom had been a strawberry blonde.

Kelly had a feeling he was going to be putting his spade and shovel to good use…

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Kathy looked up.

"I brought you something…" she said. "Kelly, can you get that box now?"

"Sure…"

He went to the dining room and brought the large box back to the sofa.

It was beautifully wrapped in pink and white with a huge taffeta bow.

Alyssa turned it around…trying to figure out the best way to begin. It was almost too beautiful to spoil.

Kelly helped her to slip the bow off…and together they unwrapped a sealed cardboard box.

Kelly went to get a knife and slit the reinforced paper packing tape.

And together they opened it.

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"Oh my God…" Alyssa breathed. "It's gorgeous!"

She ran her fingers over the silk and lace of the most beautiful…elaborate Christening gown she had ever seen.

It was old…that was obvious from the style. But it was in excellent condition. It had been well taken care of…well preserved.

Kelly looked at his aunt…a bit confused.

"My Aunt Helen, my mother's oldest sister, was a seamstress. She made that gown…she made two of them in fact. One for me…and one for Maggie." Kathy said. "That's the gown your mother was baptized in, Kelly."

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Kelly could barely see for the tears swimming in his eyes. He reached out to touch the gown…but was almost afraid to. His fingers barely skimmed the silk and lace.

"I don't know what to say…"

"Maggie and I always fantasized about having daughters…and them wearing our Baptismal gowns…our First Communion dresses…but we both had boys. Grandma Kelly kept them all those years…then I kept them at my house." She told him. "I know if she were here…she'd want this little one to have her dress."

"We'd be honored…to have Maggie baptized in her grandmother's gown." Alyssa said.

She wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Thank-you…thank-you so very much."

Kelly carefully laid the box with the precious gift on the coffee table and got up to kiss his aunt.

He couldn't put into words…what it felt like to have these pieces of his family history coming into his life. It was only right that his mother's namesake wear her Christening gown…just like it was only right that Alyssa wore the engagement ring his grandma told him to save for the right girl.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3-New Neighbors**

The shift from hell was finally over…Severide couldn't remember the last time he had gone out on eight calls in one shift. It seemed every time he was about to lay his head on the pillow…the bells were going off. A car accident…a warehouse accident…a window washer stuck twenty stories up…an apartment fire. He was tired and sore and hungry…

As he drove home he prayed that Maggie would have a quiet day…

She really was a good baby. She smiled a lot…and she didn't cry unless she had a good reason. But "good reason" to a two month old and "good reason" to a tired dad were sometimes two very different things.

Who was he kidding? All she had to do was look at him with those big blue eyes and he was ready to give her the world on a silver platter.

He walked in his back door…and the scene that greeted him reminded him what it was all about. Alyssa was just coming from upstairs, carrying the baby, fresh from her bath, smelling of powder and baby shampoo. As soon as Maggie saw Kelly she smiled a big toothless smile and kicked her little feet.

Kelly couldn't help but smile.

While he fed Maggie her bottle Alyssa made him a big breakfast of blueberry pancakes and bacon.

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That afternoon…after he had had a long nap and a shower…and lunch…he felt like a human being again. So he and Lyssa put Maggie in the stroller and walked the three blocks to school.

As they walked down their block, Kelly couldn't help thinking how much everything had changed in the last year. Mr. and Mrs. Garibaldi were both gone…Mrs. Garibaldi just over a year now, and Mr. Garibaldi had passed a few months later…in September. Their house still stood empty…despite the renovations and the upgrades the daughters had put into it…the housing market was in a slump and nothing was moving.

The Murdoch's house was empty too…that one probably qualified as a "fixer-upper". Murdoch had spent too much time at the bottom of a bottle to bother with home improvements. That and the house just_ felt_ ominous…at least to Kelly. He shuddered every time he walked past it.

The Riordan's house across the street was probably the saddest one. The Severides had really liked the neighbors that had only been there about a year. Kyle Riordan was a cop in charge of a SWAT team. He and Kelly were so much alike…a couple of adrenaline junkies, Amy Riordan used to say. Danny and Kevin had been just a little older than Andy and Jesse…and had become fast friends. They, along with Nicky's youngest son Connor were inseparable from almost the moment the Riordans moved in.

He was lost in his thoughts as he pushed the stroller until he felt Alyssa's hand rest lightly in the small of his back.

"What're you thinkin' 'bout, Kelly?" she asked.

He gave her a little smile.

"Nothin'…I'm still tired…and my knee's bothering me a little…"

She was about to ask why he hadn't stayed home…but she knew the answer. As long as he could get himself there under his own power, nothing was going to keep Kelly from picking the boys up from school.

So Alyssa just got a little closer to her husband…and they listened to Maggie making her latest sound…a gurgling noise that for some reason fascinated her. And they continued on their walk through the neighborhood toward St. Pasqual's.

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The boys were so excited to see their mom_ and_ their dad…but most of all, their baby sister. A group of about a dozen first graders crowded around the stroller to make faces and funny noises at Maggie, trying to get her to laugh and smile.

The family finally tore themselves away from the crowd and turned back toward home, with Jesse and Andy taking turns pushing the stroller. Kelly draped his arm around Lyssa and listened to the boys talking about their day. They only had about a month of school…and every day was a different theme.

Tomorrow was "Proud to be an American" Day…and they didn't have to wear their uniforms…so that in itself was exciting. They were having a massive cookout for lunch with hot dogs and potato chips and watermelon. And the Jesse White Tumblers were coming to put on a show!

It actually sounded like a lot of fun. Maybe Kelly would have to take a walk by…the school was always looking for parent volunteers.

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As they turned onto their street they saw the moving trucks in front of the Riordan's old house.

"Hey…Dad!" Andy said. "New neighbors!"

"I can see that…"

"Are there any kids?" Jesse asked.

"Don't know…we'll have to find out." Kelly told them.

They crossed the street and the boys hung back a little as they neared the house.

Suddenly it wasn't Kevin and Danny's house anymore.

Kelly grinned as he saw some men he recognized unloading the three U Hauls parked in front.

They were all firefighters.

"Hey!" he called out… "Who let you guys in here?!"

Four guys turned at the sound of his voice.

"Kelly Severide! What the hell are you doin here?"

"I live right across the street…" he said.

Then he introduced his family.

"This is my wife Alyssa…our boys, Andy and Jesse…and our newest addition, Maggie Grace."

And he went down the line…

"Skip Harding…Ryan Walton…Trent Reid…and Steve Glass…They're all out of Station 34."

A couple more men came to the end of the drive to see what was going on.

Walton made the rest of the introductions.

"Tom Gaines…Stan Rodgers…and this here's your new neighbor…Rafe Michelotti."

Kelly held out his hand.

"Kelly Severide…welcome to the neighborhood."

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Rafe introduced his wife Maria…and his two daughters, Hannah and Leah. Hannah was three…and Leah was three months.

Maggie was going to have a friend…when she got a little bigger.

Andy and Jesse lost interest once they found out there were no little boys…and Connor and Aiden were just coming down the street…so the twins went to play with their cousins.

"Alyssa's brother lives over there." Kelly nodded in the direction of Nick's house. "He's a cop…but don't hold it against him."

Rafe laughed a hearty laugh.

Alyssa excused herself to go put Maggie down for a nap…and as she crossed the street, Kelly just knew she was going to go whip up an Italian Sponge cake…

Standard house warming gift…she could probably make it in her sleep.

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As Kelly was talking to his new neighbor…an Engineer on Engine 34 and a ten year veteran of the department…one of the guys opened up the last truck…and the first thing to come off was a motorcycle.

"Oh…that is sweet!" Kelly exclaimed as he walked around the ten year old Honda street bike.

It was like new…in mint condition.

"You like?" Rafe asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Like?" Kelly asked. "It's gorgeous!"

He knelt down…ignoring the protests from his right knee…and looked over the bike.

"Is that a 1400cc?" he asked, as he checked out the engine.

"Yep…"

"Five speed transmission?"

"Yep…" Rafe replied. "You know your bikes. You ride?"

"I haven't in years…I keep lookin' to get back into it. But my wife's not too hot on the idea."

"I hear ya, man." Rafe said. "Maria's been naggin' me to get rid of the thing for a year now."

"How come?"

Rafe gave Kelly a rueful grin.

"I got caught in the rain about a year…year and a half ago. I skidded and had to lay the bike down…broke my collar bone. I was out for about six months…and Maria's been after me to sell it ever since."

"No one's bit? I can't believe that." Kelly said, still in awe of the gorgeous piece of machinery in front of him.

"Haven't found the right fit…can't sell her to just anybody."

"I'll buy it. How much you want for it?"

"You serious?" Rafe asked.

"As a heart attack…" Kelly replied.

Rafe shrugged.

"Seventy-five hundred…but only if I get visitation rights."

Kelly stood up and held out his hand.

"You got a deal…I'll even let ya ride it."

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He came in the back door…and surprise, surprise…Alyssa was just putting the cake into the oven.

Did he know his wife…or what?

He went to the drawer where they kept their checkbook and their papers…

"What are you doing, Kelly?" Lyssa asked as he took the checkbook out.

"I'm gonna buy the new neighbor's bike…he only wants seven grand for it. It's a steal."

"You're buying a motorcycle? I assume you're talking about a motorcycle…" she said.

"Yeah…it's a Honda CB1100…it's ten years old, but it's in mint condition. Like I said, it's a bargain."

"Were you…planning…to discuss it with me? Before you made this decision?"

"What? You know I've wanted a bike for years. This is like…fate or something."

He couldn't believe she was getting so worked up over this. It's not like they were hurting for money these days. He had the money from the TV show…from the "consulting"…from the story…and then from working as an extra. That and the show got picked up…so there was the possibility of more work there. "Hollywood" would surely want him back.

"So if this bike's such a prize, why's he selling?" Lyssa asked.

"His wife's making him…he got in an accident and she's all paranoid about him riding it."

Lyssa's eyes went wide.

"So you…the man who practically took my car _apart_ before we bought it…checking everything out…wants to buy a motorcycle that you _know's_ been in an accident?" she asked incredulously.

Kelly was getting frustrated.

"It's been fixed! I looked the whole thing over. It's good as new…_better_ than new!"

The two just glared at one another. They were coming from two totally opposite places on this.

She was looking at this logically…and there was nothing logical about a man wanting a bike like this. It was a gut emotion. He couldn't explain it…he just _wanted_ it.

Alyssa took a deep breath…and let it out slowly…trying to keep her temper in check.

"Don't you think I'm at least entitled to a conversation before you agree to drop almost a month's pay on a single purchase?"

"It's my money, Lyssa. I worked hard for it…I should be able to spend it on something I want!"

As soon as the words left his mouth he knew he'd gone too far. Alyssa looked like he'd just slapped her. She actually took a step back.

"Your money?" she said softly.

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"Lyssa…I didn't mean that…I'm sorry…" he stammered.

But Alyssa held up her hand.

He could see the tears welling up in her eyes…and that made him hurt.

He took a step closer to her, to reach out and comfort her. To tell her again how sorry he was, how he didn't mean what he'd just said. But Alyssa backed away from him.

"Not now, Kelly. I'm gonna call a 'time out' here."

That was something they'd learned from Dr. Paxton…when they'd gone for marriage counseling. When there was an emotionally charged topic, take a step back…and set a time to talk about it later. After they'd had time to calm down.

Kelly just nodded. He didn't have a choice.

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The timer going off behind him scared the shit out of him.

Alyssa circled wide…so he couldn't reach out and pull her close…and grabbed the oven mitts. She took the cake out of the oven and set it on the stove to cool.

Any other time, the smell of a fresh baked Italian Sponge cake would have made his mouth water…but now he felt sick to his stomach.

Alyssa walked out of the kitchen and ran up the stairs. Seconds later Kelly heard their bedroom door close. If he'd been right there he'd probably have heard the lock click as well.

He knew she wouldn't talk to him until after the kids were in bed…so that gave him a good five…hours to kick himself and curse his stupid mouth.

Suddenly, the house felt suffocating…like the walls were closing in on him. He grabbed his keys and his gym bag and went and jumped in the car.

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When he got home it was dark.

Alyssa had already fed the kids…and Maggie was in her crib. The boys were getting ready for bed…Kelly could hear the shower running upstairs.

He checked the oven…at least Alyssa had left him a plate. That had to be a good sign.

He sat down to eat…but the food tasted like cardboard to him. It had to be him…Lyssa's cooking was good…even reheated. But he couldn't swallow. His stomach was all tied up in knots.

He had really stepped in it…big time. How could he say that it was his money…that Alyssa had no part of it? If there was one thing he had learned in the fourteen…fifteen months they had worked with Dr. Paxton, it was that Alyssa couldn't stand being taken for granted. She had to know that her efforts to keep their family running mattered…that they mattered to him. That even if she wasn't bringing in a paycheck that she worked hard to make a good life for him and the kids.

And three little words… "it's my money"…had just sent all that down the toilet.

He'd have kicked himself in the ass if his knee wasn't killing him after a three and a half hour workout.

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Kelly climbed the stairs slowly…with a sense of nervousness he hadn't felt in a long time.

Andy and Jesse were getting into their pj's.

"Daddy! Where did you go?" Andy asked.

Both boys ran to him…but he stopped them before they got too close.

"Don't, guys…I'm all sweaty." He told them.

"Where were you?" Jesse said. "You weren't here for dinner!"

"And Maggie didn't get all her stories!" Andy added.

Way to make Dad feel even more guilty, kids…

"We only read her one each!" Jesse told him. "Mommy wouldn't let us do more!"

"I went to the gym…that's all. I went to work out." Kelly said.

"But why were you gone so long?" Andy asked.

"I just was. Now…it's time for bed…"

He hustled the twins up into their loft beds…and he and Alyssa tucked them in.

"'Night, guys…" he said.

Alyssa kissed Jesse…then moved over to Andy.

"Go to sleep, boys." She whispered. "I love you…"

"Love you too…" Andy said.

He was nervous. He could tell something was wrong with Mommy and Daddy.

"G'night…" Jesse said.

He knew something was wrong too…

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Alyssa turned off the light on the dresser between their beds…and she and Kelly looked at them once more before they shut the door behind them.

"I'm gonna take a shower…" he told her.

Alyssa just nodded, and went back down the stairs.

Kelly let the hot water pummel his aching muscles. He was gonna be a mess in the morning…but he just had to get out of his head for a while.

He rehearsed in his mind what he was going to say to Lyssa. He had to tell her how sorry he was…that he hadn't meant the words that had come out of his mouth…that he did appreciate all the things she did for him…for the kids…and that he loved her more than anything in the world.

He pulled on a t-shirt and shorts…and slowly made his way down the stairs.

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Lyssa was waiting for him in the family room.

She looked so small…curled up in a ball in the center of the sectional couch. He sank down beside her…but he still felt like they were miles apart.

Alyssa held out two envelopes.

He looked at her quizzically as he opened the first one.

That was another thing they had learned with Dr. Paxton. When they wanted to express something important…something where there were a lot of complex emotions…it was best to write it down. Kelly was terrible at it, but Alyssa really embraced the idea.

His eyes teared up as he read the words his wife had written.

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Alyssa wrote how hurt she had been when he said that he should be able to do what he wanted to with_ his_ money…how she felt so small and so insignificant. It bothered her that she never went back to work, first because she couldn't…because of her injuries after Brad had nearly killed her…then because they had two babies. So she threw herself into being a wife and a mother…and when Kelly acted so proud of their home and their family, every time people came over, she knew she was doing a good job. But three little words stripped all that away in a heartbeat.

He couldn't have hurt her worse if he had hit her.

Then she handed him the second envelope.

It was a list…a list of all the things she did for him and the kids on a daily basis. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping…taking the kids to the doctor, the dentist…being the room mom at school…

And she listed all the times she had nursed him through some injury he'd gotten at work…all the times she dropped everything to run to the ER when she got a call. All the times she went with him to the doctor or to rehab and stayed right by his side to support him and encourage him…and to comfort him when he was scared and in pain.

"I don't know if you can put a dollar value on all that, Kelly…" she whispered. "But I always thought we were a team…that we were in this together. You're not the only one who gets out of bed every day to keep this family going. And there are days I don't feel like it either…sometimes I'm tired, or I don't feel well…but I do it…because you and the kids need me."

Kelly put the papers down beside him and moved closer to Alyssa.

He took her hand in his…

"We _do_ need you, Lyssa…_I_ need you. I don't even want to _think_ what my life would be like without you and the kids…but especially you. I love you more than I ever knew it was possible to love somebody. You're my _life_, Baby. I'm so…_so_ sorry I hurt you."

He put his arm around her tiny frame and pulled her into his lap so he could be as close to her as humanly possible.

"I love you, Alyssa…please…_please_ believe me."

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The next morning Kelly trudged across the street to the new neighbors'.

"Hey…" Rafe said. "I wondered what happened to you yesterday."

"Yeah…" Kelly started. "Listen…about the bike…I, uh, spoke too soon. I shouldn't have said I'd buy it without talking to my wife first."

Rafe gave a smirk.

"I get it. It's okay." He told Kelly. "I really don't wanna sell it anyway."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4-Deadly Fourth**

"Truck 81…Ambulance 61…Squad 3…multiple drowning victims…"

That was all he heard. Severide sprang from his bed…a water accident…Lake Michigan…the middle of the night…multiple victims.

Happy Fourth of July, folks.

He pulled on his dive gear in the back of the Squad; listening to the radio…hoping to get a better idea of what he was going into.

They were calling for Squad 1 too…whatever this was, it had to be massive.

Capp and Mills suited up as well. This was gonna take all of them.

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As he strode toward the water's edge the men got the inflatable skiff into the water. Chief gave him what few facts were known.

Two boats collided…one came straight at the other, no lights, nothing…going at full throttle.

"How many in the water?" Severide asked.

"Your guess is good as mine." Chief told him.

Great…nothing like having clear picture going in…

The men jumped into the skiff and powered out to the scen

CPD had two birds in the air…illuminating the area above the crash site.

"Okay…Mills take the port side…I'll go in on the starboard. "Hadley…you man Mills line, Capp you take mine. Be ready to get in the water if we need you. We're gonna need at least two more boats out here…no, make it three. And get Shay and Dawson out here ASAP!"

He and Mills tumbled over the sides of the inflatable craft and began to search for victims.

But the longer they were in the water…the more likely they were on a recovery mission, rather than a rescue.

Squad 1 had pulled in about three minutes behind and they put three men in the water. Capp got in too and between the six men they pulled nine victims out in about ten minutes. Coupled with the five who managed to stay in the boats…that made fourteen ambulances racing off to the various hospitals…Lakeshore…Northwestern…Stroger…Rush…they had a full scale disaster on their hands.

Kelly was down there for about an hour and a half…and it was obvious he'd done all he could do.

He pulled himself back into the skiff and stripped off his mask and his tank. He pulled back his hood and just let the lake breeze wash over him.

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He got in just as Alyssa was getting the kids breakfast. Andy and Jesse were already wearing their red white and blue t-shirts…and Maggie had on a little onsie with the words "Little Firecracker" stitched on the front.

"Dad! What time are we going to the picnic?" Andy said as he jumped down off his chair.

"Cool your engines, Buddy…it's only eight in the morning. The picnic's not till this afternoon." He said tiredly.

"Are we gonna see fireworks?" Jesse asked.

"Tonight, Jess…I promise." Kelly told him.

"Is Maggie gonna see fireworks?" Andy wanted to know.

"Prob'ly not…that's way past her bedtime."

"But she has to!" Jesse cried. "It's her first Fourth of July!"

Kelly sighed. All he wanted right now was something to eat…a shower…and a nap. Not necessarily in that order either.

Alyssa came and kissed him.

He wrapped his arms around her and tangled his fingers in her long, brown hair.

It was so good to be home.

"Rough shift, Baby?" she whispered.

"I'll tell ya later…" he whispered back.

He hugged her tight and leaned down to kiss her.

"Can I fix you something for breakfast?" she asked when their lips parted.

"Whatever you're givin' the kids is fine." He answered.

He pulled out his chair and sat down to a simple breakfast of toast and fruit and sausage patties. But the toast was thick slices of Alyssa's homemade cinnamon bread. And she made the sausage herself with a combination of beef and pork and some super-secret mix of Italian spices. It was the best sausage in the city…no question about it. She poured him a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice…and set his coffee mug in front of him.

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They spent the day out in Park Ridge at Alyssa's brother Tony's place. He lived in a little house on a big lot…but with ten little kids running around…it seemed like everyone was bumping into each other.

But wasn't that what the holidays were all about?

Kelly went to grab another beer from the cooler and check the ribs on the grill. Alyssa had made eight slabs…and Kelly hoped it was going to be enough. Even though there was chicken and brats and burgers and hot dogs…as well as corn on the cob and a ton of other sides…he planned to gorge himself on those ribs.

Another thing that was the best in all of Chicago…

"Hey…were you out at that accident on the lake last night?" Tony asked as he basted the ribs with another layer of barbeque sauce.

"Yeah…it was a mess." Kelly said.

He really didn't want to talk about it.

"They just found two more people. They just said it on the radio."

"What?!" Kelly couldn't believe it.

"Yeah…two girls…nineteen and twenty. The one boat was full of college kids…prob'ly all three sheets to the wind…sorry, no pun intended."

Sixteen victims…

Alyssa found him off by himself…away from everyone.

"Kelly? Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling down in front of him.

He looked up…and she could see the pain in his eyes.

"Tony said they pulled two more bodies outta the lake."

"Oh…Honey…" she took his hand in hers.

"I was in the water for almost _ninety minutes_. How'd I miss 'em?"

"Kelly…I know you did everything you could." Alyssa told him. "Sometimes it just doesn't work out."

He pulled her up and into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her slender body and held her close. She knew him so well…and she loved him.

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But that wasn't the end of it.

The father of one of the girls…Becky Fischmann…twenty years old…a junior at U of I…was on every TV station…and on the front page of both papers demanding answers. He wanted to know how the divers could have missed his daughter in the water. The autopsy revealed water in her lungs…she had drowned.

Every channel rehashed the whole thing…over and over. Becky and her friends had been at a party…and eight of them got into a power boat. A boy named Jack Harper was driving…and his blood alcohol was over three times the legal limit. He had plowed into another boat…a small cruiser…with another eight people on board.

Harper's boat was totally decimated…he and three of his passengers had died…the rest were all seriously injured. One guy was on life support. The cruiser had fared better, being the bigger boat. Three of her passengers had gone overboard…and two were in serious condition.

Any way you looked at it…it was just bad.

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The team was back on shift on the sixth. The mood was somber. The one kid had been taken off life support the day before…and an eighteen year old girl was paralyzed from the chest down.

Suddenly there was a ruckus outside.

The men went out front. There was a huge crowd lined up outside Station 51. Dan Fischmann was there…and he brought a camera crew. Two...in fact.

"I'm looking for Lieutenant Severide!" he hollered out.

Kelly stepped forward.

"I'm Severide…"

"I'm Dan Fischmann…Becky's father."

"What can I do for you?"

"You can explain to me why my daughter died in that lake! You can explain to me how you pulled nine people out of the water…and left my baby girl to drown!" Fischmann yelled…as he took a step closer to Severide.

Kelly took a deep breath…and let it out slowly.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Fischmann."

"You're sorry?" the anguished man's voice broke. "You're sorry!? I don't want your sympathy! I want answers, damnit!"

"I don't know what you want me to say." Kelly replied evenly…trying to keep his temper in check and not get confrontational with this man who was obviously hurting so badly.

Chief stepped up beside Kelly.

"Mr. Fischmann…we're all sorry you lost your child…we did everything we could out there…"

"You didn't do shit! You left my baby in the water! My Becky would be alive right now if you…" Fischmann advanced on Kelly again… "If _you_ had done your job!"

Kelly started to say something…but Casey put his hand on Kelly's shoulder.

"Walk away…" he said under his breath. "There's nothing you can say to this guy…just walk away."

Casey was right. There was nothing to be gained from getting into a fight with a grieving father. In front of a camera, no less.

Severide turned and headed back into the house.

"Get back here…you sonofabitch!" Fischmann hollered. "Don't you dare walk away from me!"

Chief and the other men closed ranks to keep Fischmann from following Kelly into the station.

"You need to go, Mr. Fischmann." Boden said evenly. "Go home…be with your family…there's nothing you can do here."

Boden took a step back…and his men followed him back into the firehouse.

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Kelly was pacing the apparatus room floor when Boden and the rest of the team filed back inside.

He could still hear Fischmann and some of the others screaming outside.

"Severide…" Boden began.

"How'd that guy get my name?" Kelly asked.

Chief sighed.

"He probably got a copy of the after action report from the city. He's just lashing out…he's grieving…"

Kelly wiped his hand down his face in frustration.

He'd gone over it in his mind a hundred times…and he felt for the man…honestly he did. But he had done his job. He did everything by the book. There was nothing more to say."

"We've all been there, Kelly." Chief said, laying a hand on Severide's shoulder. "It'll all blow over."

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But it didn't.

The next shift they worked, Kelly caught sight of a car…cruising past Station 51…slow…menacing…then speeding up.

He could have sworn it was Dan Fischmann.

In the morning he came out to find a brick through his windshield.

Alyssa wanted him to make a police report…but Kelly didn't want to make more trouble for the grieving father.

Then the phone calls started…in the middle of the night. At first they were hang-ups. Then they progressed to silence. And finally to a recording of a terrified, screaming young girl when he picked up the phone.

Now he was ready to call the cops.

But there was nothing they could do. There was no proof it was Fischmann. They made a half-hearted attempt to trace the calls…but they came back to an unregistered cell phone. Surprise, surprise.

Kelly was scared. Not for himself…but for Alyssa and the kids.

This guy had his home number…possibly his address. What was to stop him from showing up at the house while Kelly was on shift.

Benny started staying at the house the nights Kelly was at work.

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In the meantime, Fischmann was writing and calling every city official he could get a hold of. He held a press conference…and announced that he was suing the city…the fire department…and Lieutenant Kelly Severide for the wrongful death of his daughter.

Kelly met with Chief…and the city attorney.

"Can't we do something?" Kelly asked in frustration. "I mean…why is this guy going after me? It's not like I was the only one out there…"

"He's angry, Lieutenant." The attorney said.

"No shit…I get that." Kelly snapped. "But this guy trashed my car! He's got my phone number! What about my family?"

"You could always change your number…"

"That's not the point!"

"Lieutenant…I think what this man wants is an apology. He wants someone to say they're sorry for his daughter's death."

"I _am_ sorry his daughter died!" Kelly said. "I've got kids too…I get it! But I'm _not_ gonna say it's my fault! If he wants to blame someone, he should blame the guy driving the damn boat!"

"But he's dead…" the attorney pointed out.

"I know he is! I'm the one who pulled his body out of the lake!"

This woman didn't get it. He could sympathize with Dan Fischmann. If it were one of his children, Kelly knew he'd be out for blood. But he was not…no way in hell…was he going to say it was his fault…that he didn't do his job.

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One morning, Kelly opened his front door to go out and get the paper…and he found his front porch steps covered in red paint.

The bastard had come to his house…while he was inside with his wife and kids.

Alyssa came out to see what was wrong…and she gasped in horror when she saw the paint.

"Go back in the house." Kelly told her.

"Kelly…"

"Go back in the house, Alyssa!"

He put his arm around her and quickly went back inside.

He slammed the door…and threw the deadbolt.

He took his wife in his arms and held her close.

His body trembled…with anger…and fear.

"Kelly? What's going on?" Alyssa asked.

"Fischmann found out where we live…"

"What are we gonna do?"

Kelly took a deep breath. He had to think clearly. Obviously, Fischmann was sending a message…that Becky's blood was on his hands.

He searched Lyssa's eyes…full of worry…a little anger...a little fear.

"You're gonna pack…I want you to get the kids outta here…get outta the city."

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'll deal with it…I'll handle it."

"I'm not goin' anywhere, Kelly." Alyssa said emphatically.

Kelly held her at arm's length.

"Alyssa, this guy's come totally unhinged. I can't have you and the kids in this kind of danger!"

"Where are we supposed to go?"

"My dad can take you up north. He's got a buddy who owns a fishing cabin…"

"I'm not going out to the woods with a four month old baby and two seven year olds!" Alyssa said. "Kelly…we're a family…and if you're staying here…so are we!"

"Alyssa! This guy knows where we_ live_! He may have been watching for a while! God only knows what's goin' through his head right now! We can't take any chances!"

Now it was Alyssa's turn to take a deep breath. She took her husband by the hand and led him into the living room to the couch.

She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.

"I love you, Kelly. We're gonna take this slow. First, we'll call the police…and we'll call Chief Boden. We'll call Mouch…and your dad. We'll sit down and make a plan for what to do next." She said. "This man's grieving…he lost his daughter…and he wants someone to blame and for some reason he's chosen you. But we're not gonna just lie down and let him have his way. We've gotta get the upper hand here. And we're gonna do it the way we do everything…together. You're not alone in this, Kelly."

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Kelly stood in his full dress uniform in Chief's office.

The department had called a press conference of its own. The Commissioner was there…the top brass…even the Mayor was expected to make an appearance.

The media had only heard from Dan Fischmann…and now he'd gone too far. The CFD was going to put the facts out there…and let people know what had happened. Fischmann was going to get answers…probably not the answers he wanted…but he'd get answers.

Kelly looked at his watch.

Time to go.

He opened the door and nearly collided with Mills, Capp and Hadley…all in their dress blues.

"What are you guys doin'?" he asked.

"We were out there that night too, Lieutenant. I was in the water too. So was Capp. It's not fair that they're singling you out for this." Mills told him. "We're a team…and we're gonna stand with you."

"You don't have to do this." Kelly said. "I'm in charge…the buck's gotta stop with me."

"Mills is right." Capp said. "We're all agreed on this. Squad 3's gonna stand together. Show this bastard that you mess with one of us…you better be prepared to take on all of us."

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Out on the apparatus room floor, rows of chairs had been set up to accommodate the reporters and the camera men. Every news affiliate in town had somebody there. There were reporters from both the Times and the Trib…even some of the suburban papers had sent someone.

Dan Fischmann was there…with his wife and his three surviving children. The parents of two of the other victims…Rachel Weiss, the eighteen year old girl who would never walk again…and Douglas Streiff…the twenty-one year old man who'd been taken off life support two days after the accident…were there as well. All the families wore the same expression…raw, unbridled grief.

Alyssa came in carrying Maggie…escorted by her father-in law in his dress uniform. Right behind her the twins came in, each of them holding onto one of Morgan Craddock's hands.

Hollywood had just gotten into town on the redeye. He was due to start filming the first season of "Chicago Fire" next week, but when he heard about the press conference…he knew he had to be there.

The cameras turned on the little group as they made their way to the front row right in front of the podium that was set up.

Alyssa wore a black and white broomstick skirt…and a fitted black t-shirt that had the words "Proud Firefighter's Wife" embroidered on the front. Andy and Jesse wore matching t-shirts that proclaimed in big letters "My Dad is a Firefighter"…and Maggie wore a little bib…and if you got close you could see the words "My Daddy's a Firefighter…and I'm his Little Princess".

Flashes went off as the family took their seats…and the rest of the men and women from Station 51 took seats all around them…surrounding Alyssa and the children in a sea of blue.

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The top brass filed in…followed by the Commissioner…the Chief…and the members of Squad 3.

Chief Boden stepped up to the podium.

"I want to thank everyone for taking their valuable time to come here today. I want to start by expressing my sincerest condolences to the families who have had loved ones lost or injured in this tragedy."

He paused.

"The CFD has one job to do. We go where ever we are needed and we do our very best to protect every citizen in this city. We put ourselves in harm's way in order to try and save the life of another. In the early morning hours of July fourth, we responded to a call. Six fire companies, in conjunction with officers from the Chicago Police Department worked together to try and rescue the people injured in this horrible accident. I was the incident commander on the scene that night…and I can tell you here today, that every man and woman involved in those efforts did his or her job to the best of their ability."

The Commissioner got up next and basically said the same thing Chief Boden said…that he stood by the actions of his men and that the CFD had done its job and no one could ask for anything more.

The reporters started hollering questions…and Kelly looked around, trying to figure out where they were all coming from…where it was all going.

Then his eyes fell on his family…his beautiful wife, looking at him with pride and love glowing in her eyes. His sons…sitting up straight and proud…and his beautiful baby girl, giving him her famous big toothless grin.

He knew he was a lucky man to have them there. He felt for Mr. Fischmann and the other families…he really did. He knew what it was like to love someone so much that you'd do anything you could to protect them.

But sometimes bad things just happened.

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He stepped up to the podium.

He hadn't planned to say anything…but the sight of his family just moved him to speak from the heart.

"My name is Lieutenant Kelly Severide. I've been a firefighter for the city of Chicago for over twenty years…and I've been a member of Squad 3 most of that time. I've led this Squad now for over ten years…and these men are the best of the best…and I'm proud of all of them and the work we do together as a team."

He paused to collect his thoughts.

"Mr. Fischmann wants answers, he wants to know how this could have happened to his daughter. I'm sure the other families want answers too. Well, I can't tell you why this happened. I can't tell you what was going on in their heads that night…what they were feeling. What I can do…is tell you what my men and I encountered when we arrived at the scene. I can tell you what we knew, what we did, and how we did it. I don't know if that's what Mr. Fischmann wants to hear…but that's the best I can do.

"We got the call at two in the morning…and we were out the door in less than ninety seconds. We knew it was going to be a water rescue…and myself, along with Firefighters Mills and Capp, pulled on our dive gear in the back of the Squad as we headed to the scene.

"When we got there…it was pitch dark. CPD was scrambling to get helicopters and search lights over the area…but we didn't wait. We had no idea what we were going in to…only that two boats had collided. We didn't even know how many people we were looking for.

"We motored out to the middle of the lake. The water was real choppy…and there was debris everywhere. Mills and I got in the water first…and we began to search with underwater flashlights. Squad 1 arrived on scene about three minutes after we did. They were coming from further out…and we were already pulling the first victim out. We got some illumination as the helicopters got there…and I ordered Capp to get in the water. We had six divers in the water for a total of almost ninety minutes…and we pulled nine people out within the first ten.

"I don't know where Becky and the other girl were in all of this. I can only assume they were thrown far from the wreckage…we didn't know how many people had been involved. We searched for ninety minutes…and we truly thought we had found everyone.

"I'm very sorry for Mr. Fischmann's loss…and for all the victims and their families. I have a family of my own…and I can't even begin to imagine getting a call in the middle of the night or finding out in the morning that one of my children didn't come home the night before. I hope I never have to go through what Mr. Fischmann and his family must be going through right now…what you all must be going through.

"I'm sorry for your loss…but I'm not going to apologize for the way I did my job. My men and I did exactly what we were trained to do…and I promise you…no one was slacking off that night. Everyone gave one hundred percent. If the bells go off tomorrow and we're called on to do the same thing all over again…we wouldn't do anything differently.

"I don't know if that's what you wanted to hear. But that's the way it was. Again…I'm sorry for the families and the pain they're going through. That's all I have to say…"

There was a round of applause from the firefighters as they all stood up for their friend and colleague.

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And Kelly stepped around the podium and went right to his wife.

He hugged her as best he could while Maggie squirmed to get into his arms. Andy and Jesse ran up to him and threw their arms around his waist…hugging him with every bit of strength they had.

Alyssa just looked up at Kelly…tears of pride glowing in her beautiful brown eyes…as she gently place her hand alongside his face.

"I love you, Kelly…" she told him. "I'm so proud of you."

That was all Kelly needed to hear.

That's all he _ever_ needed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5-More New Neighbors**

August brought more activity to the Severide house.

The twins were gearing up to start second grade. They (Kelly) had won the great Pee-Wee Football debate…and Andy and Jesse were going to be on the Phantoms! Kelly took them to pick up their uniforms…and to see his boys dressed in full pads…he felt nervous and proud all at the same time.

He remembered a picture of himself in his first football uniform…and he called over to his Aunt Kathy's to see if she had the box of photos his mom had kept. She did.

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Aunt Kathy delivered the box on Friday. It gave her an excuse to see Maggie Grace…even though Kelly and Alyssa had told her over and over that she didn't need an excuse. If she wanted to see the kids…just pick up the phone.

Kelly and Alyssa opened the box…while Aunt Kathy bounced Maggie on her lap. The baby loved that game…and she laughed and laughed. Her little giggle was infectious and soon Aunt Kathy was laughing right along with her.

Kelly found the picture he was looking for. Himself at about age eight…wearing a navy blue jersey with the number 7 on the front. His white pants were all grass-stained and he held his blue helmet by the face mask. He had a huge smile on his face…showing the huge gap where his front teeth were supposed to be. He remembered that day…his team had won 17-3…and he scored his very first touchdown!

He held the photograph out to Alyssa.

His wife bit back a giggle…and she looked up at her husband. In a lot of ways she could still see that same little boy…

"I think that's one of the cutest things I've ever seen." She told him.

Kelly found another photo…a young Grandma and Grandpa Kelly…sitting on a formal looking sofa…each holding a baby girl.

He held it up to Aunt Kathy.

She smiled.

"Mother's holding Maggie…and Daddy's holding me. We must have been about eight months old there."

She studied the picture.

"Maggie looks just like her…" she said, holding the picture alongside the baby girl on her lap.

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So while the boys were getting ready for their first football game…and playing outside with Connor and Aiden every minute they could, Alyssa was looking ahead to two big events…Maggie's Baptism…and Andy and Jesse's First Communion.

She was sitting at the kitchen table, looking at the calendar, trying to choose a date for the baptism, when the twins came running in the back door.

"Mom! There's a moving truck pulling up in front of the Murdoch's house!" Andy told her excitedly.

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The Murdoch's house had stood empty for just about a year…as that family came to sudden and tragic end. Timmy was at a Juvenile home in northern Michigan…where he was sent after he set half a dozen fires in the neighborhood. He'd destroyed four houses…a garage…he'd tried to kill a dozen people, and almost succeeded in it. And he _had_ killed one person…Sheila, their postal carrier. She had the misfortune of opening a mailbox on the corner and having it explode in her face.

No one could ever remember seeing such hatred in one person…let alone a child.

Timmy's mother, Susan, was living with her brother and his family up in Wisconsin. She had spent her entire married life being terrorized by her husband. And no one had known…because she never left the house. Later the neighborhood had learned she couldn't. Her husband had locked her in and taken the only key. Timmy used to come and go through a window he had broken in the basement. His father was too drunk to notice it.

And Tom Murdoch was down at Statesville…the Joliet Correctional Center…whatever they were calling it now. After his wife and son had been carted off to their new homes…he went on a tear…a two week long drinking binge that culminated in his getting behind the wheel and driving his car onto an off ramp on the Kennedy and seriously injured a family of five. The mother and the youngest child had eventually died of their injuries…and the little boy would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. After the mother and child had passed the charges were upped to vehicular manslaughter and once he was convicted on all counts…Tom Murdoch could conceivably spend the rest of his miserable excuse for a life behind bars.

Good riddance to all of them.

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Kelly came down the stairs carrying Maggie…fresh from her nap.

"Let's go get you a nice bottle…okay, Baby Girl?" he said.

Maggie giggled and kicked her feet.

The minute they stepped foot in the kitchen…

"Daddy! There's a moving truck in front of Timmy's old house!" Jesse told him.

"Can we go see if there's kids?" Andy asked.

The twins were practically vibrating with anticipation.

Alyssa stood to take the baby from Kelly.

"Why don't you take them to investigate?" she suggested.

She knew her boys wouldn't rest until they had checked everything out.

"Inquiring minds want to know…" Kelly muttered.

He and Alyssa shared a look between them.

"Okay, guys…let's go check it out." He said.

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Kelly followed his boys out the back door and around the side of the house. The twins ran to the end of the drive and craned their necks to look down the street. Once he'd caught up, Kelly took them by the hands and together they walked four houses down the block.

There was a woman…tall, a little heavyset, probably in her mid-thirties…with her hair pulled back in a messy bun telling the men which things went in which room.

She caught sight of the man walking toward her house holding two little boys by the hand. She smoothed her hair as best she could…and straightened her t-shirt out.

Kelly put on his best smile…

"Hi…I'm Kelly Severide…and these are my boys, Andy and Jesse. We live four houses down…6134."

He held out his hand.

"Marcie Donovan…" the woman introduced herself. "Pleased to meet you."

She looked down at the two little boys.

"I'm gonna guess you two are twins." She said.

Andy and Jesse nodded.

The woman took a step back and looked toward the backyard.

"Mia! Micah! Come meet some neighbors!"

A boy and a girl about Andy and Jesse's age came running around the side of the house. They skidded to a halt in front of the woman.

"This is my niece, Mia…and my nephew Micah." Marcie Donovan introduced the children. "They're twins too…"

Mia and Micah's eyes went wide.

"How old are you?" Mia asked Andy.

"Seven and a half. How old are you?"

"We're gonna be eight next month!" Mia answered.

"What grade are you in?" Jesse asked.

"Second…" Micah said.

"Are you gonna go to St. Pasqual's?" Jesse asked.

The new twins looked up at their aunt.

"I don't know yet…I have to go check it out."

"Where are you coming from?" Kelly asked.

"Batavia." Marcie answered. "I got a new job teaching Chemistry and Physics at Lane Tech…and it was just too much of a haul."

"Yeah, that's for sure…" Kelly agreed.

"The twins used to live at Fort Campbell in Kentucky." She went on. "Their mother…my sister…was in the Army…but…she was killed by an IED two years ago."

She lowered her voice when she told Kelly the last part, so as not to have the children hear.

Mia and Micah and Andy and Jesse had moved over to the front lawn…just out of earshot.

"It still upsets them…I'm trying to keep her memory alive for them…but they were only five when Elizabeth deployed. They hardly remember her at all."

Kelly nodded. He understood. He'd seen God only knew how many kids lose a parent in all the years he'd been with the department. He wondered if Ben and Griffin Darden remembered their dad. And suddenly realized that he hadn't seen them in almost eight years…not since the twins were baptized, and they made a quick appearance with their mom, Heather.

Casey told him that they'd moved out of state a few years ago.

"Well…if there's anything we can do to help you get settled…just yell. My wife Alyssa's home right now with our daughter…but I'm sure she'll be down to say hello before the day's out."

She'd probably bring a cake. Kelly would bet his bottom dollar she'd already started baking.

"Hey…guys…I'm sure Ms. Donovan has a lot of work to do. Why don't we head back?" he said.

"Can Mia and Micah come play at our house?" Andy asked.

"Yeah…can they?" Jesse echoed.

Kelly looked at his new neighbor.

"Would that help you out? That way they wouldn't be underfoot…" he said.

"I wouldn't want to impose."

"It's no problem…we've usually got a couple extra kids hangin' around."

"Well, that would be a help…thank-you." Marcie agreed.

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One night, Alyssa's brother Jimmy came over.

Jimmy had been going through a divorce from his wife Roxanne for three…almost three and a half years now. This divorce had to rival that old movie "War of the Roses" for ugly…messy…downright nasty divorces. Roxanne and her daddy seemed determined to wipe Jimmy from the face of the earth…and he could quite possibly lose everything he worked for seventeen years to build up. Roxanne wanted everything…the house, the cars, the kids, alimony…and her daddy had hired her the best legal shark in the city.

Kelly took one look at his brother-in-law when he walked in the door and went directly to the pantry for the bottle of whiskey. Jimmy didn't look like he'd make it all the way to the bar downstairs in the "man cave".

He and Jimmy sat down at the dining room table and he poured them each a shot.

After they had downed them…

"What the hell's goin' on?" Kelly asked. "You look like you just lost your best friend."

Jimmy shook his head…looking shell shocked.

He slid his glass over to Kelly and motioned for him to fill it up again.

Kelly looked at him quizzically as he poured two more shots.

They had just downed the last shot when Alyssa came down from putting the twins to bed.

"Jimmy…what's wrong?" she asked. "Are the kids okay?"

She couldn't think of anything that would upset her brother more…

Jimmy nodded slowly.

"Roxanne wants to expedite the divorce proceedings." He said slowly.

"I thought she was the one draggin' it out." Kelly said.

"Well…now she wants to speed it up. She's willing to split everything down the middle. She offered to buy me out of the house…the beach house…the boat…everything. She even offered me joint custody of the kids. Fifty-fifty…right down the middle."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Alyssa asked suspiciously.

"She's got a new boyfriend…and I guess she wants to get married…or at least move him in. And under that parenting agreement she forced on me…she can't do that. She was so worried about me dating again that she had her lawyer draw up this paper that said I couldn't bring another woman around the kids…well, it went both ways, and now it's come back to bite her in the ass."

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So Jimmy got his divorce. They finalized it on a Tuesday morning…and on Tuesday afternoon Roxanne moved Phillip Riverton-Pruitt into the house she and Jimmy had shared for a dozen years.

Right from the start it was a match made in hell…at least according to Samantha, Jimmy's fourteen year old daughter.

"It's terrible…awful…" she complained to her Aunt Alyssa. "He's such a pretentious jerk!"

Alyssa raised her eyebrows at her niece's description.

"And she wants us to call him 'Daddy'!" Samantha went on. "Well, I won't do it! I don't care if she locks me in my room till I'm ninety!"

And things only got worse.

In the middle of the night, about the middle of August, she called her father in hysterics…begging Jimmy to come and pick her up right away.

Jimmy drove out to Winnetka in his pajamas…to collect his sobbing daughter.

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Alyssa and Kelly heard all about it the next day.

Roxanne and Phillip were engaged…and her father had this big, fancy party planned. It was to be _the _social event of the summer. _Everyone_ who was _anyone_ was invited.

Kelly fought the urge to puke.

Roxanne expected her children to be part of some kind of presentation…her and Phillip giving the children some token of their becoming a family. And Samantha had flat out refused to do it. She didn't even want to be there.

"She wants to move in with me." Jimmy said.

"I think that's a wonderful idea." Alyssa told him.

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Surprisingly, Roxanne didn't object.

She and Samantha were at each other's throats constantly. And it was creating a toxic environment for their family. Better to remove the source of all the tension, she said.

"Well...then why don't you get rid of Phillip?" Samantha spat at her.

"You see?" Roxanne said to Jimmy. "She's acting like a hateful brat!"

So Samantha moved in with Jimmy.

And by the next weekend Nicole and Garrett were begging to come too.

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There was no way Jimmy's apartment was going to do for the four of them…especially when the kids moved all their stuff. He only had two bedrooms. When the kids slept over, Garrett had to sleep on the foldout couch in the living room. He needed a bigger place.

And Kelly had the perfect solution.

"The house next door's been empty for a year and a half. It's got three bedrooms upstairs, and one downstairs. And they put in a master bed and bathroom upstairs…it's basically the same layout as our house. The kitchen's been updated…everything's brand new."

It was the perfect solution.

Now that he was going to be a full time single parent, Jimmy needed all the support he could get. To have his brother and sister right there was all the support he needed. He could turn to Alyssa and their sister-in-law Kathy when he needed help with teenage girl angst…Garrett and Aiden had grown to be best friends…and he could just call his brother or his brother-in-law to come over for a beer anytime.

So Kelly put in a call to Mr. and Mrs. Garibaldi's daughter Charlotte…who was only too happy to get rid of the house. They agreed on a fair price…and the deal was done.

It was like a block party when Jimmy and the kids moved in. The whole family pitched in to help. Alyssa helped her nieces pick out things for their new room…and Garrett wanted fire truck pictures on his walls…just like Andy and Jesse…and he wanted some fire engines…like Uncle Kelly had over the bar downstairs. So he and Uncle Kelly went on EBay and picked out a bunch of stuff.

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Kelly and Alyssa sat on their front steps one evening after dinner. Kelly held Maggie in his arms as she drifted off to sleep…and watched Andy and Jesse, Connor, Aiden and Garrett playing in the front yard with Mia and Micah from down the street…till the ice cream truck came trolling down the block. Alyssa went inside to get some money…and soon all the kids were sitting on the steps eating their treats.

Kelly shifted Maggie to one arm…and reached out to Alyssa with the other. As he brought his wife close to his side he couldn't help but feel happy…and content. He'd never envisioned this life for himself…but he wouldn't trade it for all the money in the world.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6-Exorcising Demons**

Fall brought more than just the changing of the leaves.

The little neighborhood was hopping with activity. Andy and Jesse were showing Mia and Micah the ropes at St. Pasqual's. It was a big change for them, going to a Catholic school.

Kelly had pulled a few strings and gotten Micah on the Phantoms with the twins…and Connor had gotten himself "traded" …so now the whole backfield was together nearly 24/7. And Kelly joked about getting a bus to haul 'em around.

Andy was the quarterback…big surprise there…and Jesse was shaping up to be one helluva wide receiver if Kelly did say so himself.

And with Connor and Micah at halfback and fullback…the Phantoms had won three games in a row.

Casey, Mills, Dawson, Shay, Cruz, Otis…and all the guys from the firehouse showed up for every game they could. And they rehashed everything over meals for anyone who hadn't made it. You'd have thought they were talking about the Bears…the way they went on and on.

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Jimmy's kids were settling in too…and even though they had gone to private school all their lives, North Shore Country Day School was worlds apart from St. Pasqual's.

Nicole was in seventh grade…and she had already made the cheerleading squad and the honor choir.

Garrett started in the fifth grade…but after a week they skipped him ahead to the sixth…he was happier there. The work was more on his level, and of course he was with Aiden now.

Samantha was a freshman at Resurrection…an all girl's school not terribly far from the neighborhood. She loved it…she had joined the choir, and Orchasis, and she wanted to audition for the fall play. Every day she was involved in some club…a service club, the campus ministry…and her favorite…French club.

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But Declan was having a hard time. He was going to St. Pat's…an all boys' school over on Austin and Belmont. Most of his core group of friends had gone out to Notre Dame and a few had gone to Loyola…so he only knew a handful of guys.

Declan was very self conscious about being different. The scars from his burns were still very visible. They were darker against his pale complexion…and slightly raised. They covered his arms and the backs of his hands…and spread onto his right shoulder, his chest and back. His right leg was scarred from about the middle of his thigh to his knee.

At home and around the neighborhood everybody knew the story…they knew what he had been through. And there were others around that bore scars from the God-awful night…his mom, and both of his brothers were burned too…just not as extensively. And Amy Riordan was hurt almost as badly as he was…the point was, there was always someone who understood.

But that wasn't the case at this new school. People stopped what they were doing and stared when Declan rolled up his shirtsleeves in the early September heat. When he changed for gym class the locker room got so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

At first most of the guys thought he had some kind of skin disease…and that it might be contagious. But once Declan blurted out in frustration that it wasn't a disease…that it was burns…most of them backed off. Unfortunately that didn't make things any less awkward.

And there were an ignorant few that didn't believe him…that actually thought he was making up a story.

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Right from the start Declan had had nightmares. He would wake up screaming…heart pounding…in a cold sweat…so much so that his pajamas would have to be changed. Nicky and Kathy worried about him…like any parent would. And they felt so helpless. There were many…many times…when they lived in the apartment building…that Kelly's phone would ring in the middle of the night and he'd have to run downstairs to try and help when it seemed nothing could calm the boy.

But thankfully the nightmares became fewer and farther between. There were a couple of emergencies once the families got back into their houses…but all the grown-ups began to think they had finally turned a corner.

Then they started up again. Not only the nightmares…but Declan began to think he smelled something burning when he was in the house. It was usually when he was alone…and more than once he ran over to his aunt and uncle's in absolute terror.

When that happened, Kelly always went over and checked everything out…then tried to reassure his nephew that everything was okay.

Nicky and Kathy were just beside themselves…trying to figure out how to help their son. They asked Alyssa and Kelly what they thought they should do.

Alyssa suggested going to a counselor…and that sounded like a good idea. Kelly talked to Mouch…as union rep he had access to all kinds of information on the employee assistance program…and he got them the names of some counselors who had worked with firefighters before and might have a better perspective on Declan's issues.

So they gave it a try…Declan began to see Dr. Berger…but things only got worse. The nightmares were coming every night now. And Dr. Berger wanted to try some medication.

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One rainy afternoon, Connor and Aiden came running across the street and pounded on Kelly's door. He opened it to find his nephews soaking wet…and scared out of their minds.

"Guys! What's goin' on?" he asked as he pulled them into the house.

They both began talking at once…and they were so upset it took Kelly a minute to figure out what was happening.

Nicky and Kathy had gone to a wedding out in the southwest suburbs…and the boys were home by themselves. Declan thought he smelled smoke…and when he opened the basement door he was sure of it. He began screaming and trying to get his brothers out of the house. It was raining cats and dogs…and Connor and Aiden didn't want to go outside. Besides…they didn't smell anything…and Aiden told him so. Aiden even started to go downstairs to show him that there was nothing to be afraid of.

Declan flipped out. And the boys knew they needed help. So they ran to get Uncle Kelly.

"Tell Aunt Alyssa to call your dad!" Kelly said as he dashed across the street.

He ran into his brother-in-law's house and he could hear Declan screaming…and things crashing…and glass breaking.

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Kelly rushed to the back of the house…to the bedrooms and he found Dec tearing his room apart. The fourteen year old boy flung his little league trophy against the wall and it broke into three pieces.

He got up behind Declan and caught him in a basket hold. He held on tight as the boy fought and strained against him…then he backed up to the bed and sat down. And he held Declan until all the fight just eventually drained out of him.

Once he was calmer, Kelly took his nephew into the kitchen and made him a cup of hot chocolate. And the two sat at the table while Kelly waited for Declan to talk.

Declan took a deep breath…and let it out slowly.

"Better? Kelly asked.

Declan nodded.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, Uncle Kelly." He said quietly. "I'm scared…I'm scared it's gonna be like this the rest of my life."

"Dec…what happened to you…doesn't happen to most people. So there's no timetable for how long it takes 'til things get easier."

"But I'm scared all the time! I'm scared to be in the house…I'm scared to go to sleep…"

Kelly didn't know what to say…and it hurt him. He cared about Declan…this was his nephew…even though there was no blood relation between them.

"Uncle Kelly? When did you decide you wanted to be a firefighter?"

Kelly grinned.

"Prob'ly the day I was born…that's the only thing I ever wanted to be."

"Me too…" Declan whispered. "My Grandpa used to tell all these stories…he still does. But every time I'd hear one…it was like… 'This has to be the coolest job in the world!'"

"You're preachin' to the choir, kid." Kelly chuckled.

"I remember the day I met you. At the pancake breakfast for Aunt Alyssa."

Kelly nodded.

"I remember…"

"You let me try on all your gear…even the helmet! And when we got to ride in the truck…I think that's the coolest thing I ever did!"

Kelly remembered. Someplace, they still had the pictures he took of Declan and Aiden that day. And the video he shot of the boys when Cruz drove them around the block in Truck 81 was still saved on Nicky's computer.

He was kind of touched that Dec remembered all that. He'd only been six. Kelly knew he had had fun that day…but he hadn't realized how much of an impression it had all made on him.

"Can I tell you something?" Declan asked.

"Anything…"

"I don't know what I'll do if I can't be a firefighter when I grow up. I been saying it so long…I don't think I ever thought of anything else."

"There's no reason you can't, Dec. Not if that's what you want." Kelly told him.

"But how can I be a firefighter if I get like this? If I just _think_ of a fire and I freak out?"

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Nicky and Kathy arrived home…having raced out of the reception as soon as they got Alyssa's call.

Nicky walked Kelly out…and the two men stood on the porch.

"We thought he'd be okay…we thought since he wasn't alone…that he'd be okay." Nicky said.

Kelly nodded.

"Thanks for all your help, Kelly. I mean that…" he said. "Kathy and I…we just…we don't know what to do. We don't know how to help him."

Kelly didn't know either.

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He was still thinking about Declan the next morning when he arrived for his shift.

He poured himself a cup of coffee and took it over to his usual spot at the end of the long table.

Casey pulled up a chair next to him.

"Hey…" he said.

"Hey…" Kelly replied halfheartedly.

"What's wrong with you?"

Kelly stared into his coffee cup.

"You know my nephew Declan's having a rough time…well, yesterday was really bad."

"What happened?"

"He thought he smelled smoke coming from the basement…and I guess when he realized it was all in his head…he flipped out. Trashed his room…scared the shit outta his brothers. They came runnin' over to get me…and I…I never saw him so outta control."

Casey let his breath out slowly.

The poor kid had been through enough.

"But you know what I think the real problem is?" Kelly said.

"What's that?"

"He's afraid he won't be able to be a firefighter when he grows up. That's all he's ever talked about…as long as I've known him. He doesn't know what else to be."

"Well, he's young." Casey said. "He's only fourteen. How many fourteen year olds know what they want to be?"

"I did." Kelly answered.

Casey nodded.

He knew too.

"I just wish I could think of a way to help the kid." Kelly said.

"I might have an idea…" Casey told him.

Kelly looked at his friend…waiting to hear what it was.

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The two lieutenants left Chief Boden's office with a plan.

Now all Kelly had to do was sell it to his brother and sister-in-law.

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"No! Absolutely not!" Kathy Boungiovanni exclaimed. "Absolutely not!"

"Kathy…" Kelly said. "I think this might work. I think it may help Dec…"

"No!" she looked to her husband. "Nicky…say something!"

Nicky looked Kelly in the eye.

"Do you really think this'll work?" he asked.

"Yeah…I do." Kelly answered.

"Nicholas!" Kathy cried.

That wasn't what she wanted him to say…

Her father, the retired fire chief, was sitting at the kitchen table. Kathy had called him after Declan's meltdown. He came over that night…and the next. He too, was at a loss as to how to help his grandson.

"I think it's a brilliant idea, Kathleen." He said. "I'd do it myself…if I was still on the job. I think you need to let Kelly try."

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So the next Saturday to Sunday shift Kelly worked, Declan went with him.

And Andy and Jesse were_ sooo_…jealous!

"I wanna have a sleepover at the firehouse!" Andy pouted.

"We wanna be firefighters too!" Jesse added.

Kelly knelt down to his sons' level.

"Guys…I'm trying to help your cousin. He got hurt really bad in the fire at his house, remember? He doesn't think he can be a firefighter when he grows up because of it. And you know Declan wants to be a firefighter just as bad as you do. I want to show him that's not true." He told them.

"But I wanna go with you, Daddy!" Andy said.

"Me too…" Jesse said…although he was starting to get the reason Declan was getting this special treat.

"Guys…when you get older you can work a shift with me. I promise."

He hugged his boys…then went across the street to collect his nephew.

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Declan looked nervous as he walked toward Station 51.

"C'mon, Dec…" Kelly said as he put his arm around the boy's shoulders. "It'll be fun. You'll see."

They stopped on the supply room, where Severide grabbed a couple of Squad shirts in the smallest size…and he handed them over to Declan. Then they went into the locker room…and he gave the boy an empty locker to use. He even grabbed the roll of masking tape and put his name on it.

"Get changed…" he said indicating Dec should put the blue t-shirt on.

Then they headed out to the common room.

"Hey…guys…you remember my nephew Declan, right?"

The men all stood up to greet the fourteen year old boy. Kelly had talked to them all before Dec's visit…so they knew what was going on…and they knew what they had to do.

So Declan just jumped right in. They showed him how to check the gear…they had him rolling hose…he helped Shay and Dawson inventory the ambulance…helped Mills in the kitchen…

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And they went out on calls.

The first time the bells went off…

"C'mon, Dec!" Kelly told him. "You're ridin' with us…"

They rolled up to a street corner.

Kelly jumped down off the squad. Chief met him…

"You're gonna get wet…" Chief said.

"What do we got?"

"Kid went down a manhole on a dare…he just missed the part that said 'sewer'."

Kelly ran over to the hole and got down on the pavement.

He could hear the echo of the water rushing through the line.

"Help me!" the kid called out.

"Hang on!" Kelly called back. "I'm gonna lower down a harness…just slip it on and we'll have you out in no time!"

"I can't! I can't let go! The water's movin' too fast!"

Mills came up with a high powered flashlight and shined it down the hole.

Kelly could see the kid…couldn't have been more than thirteen…hanging on for dear life to the bottom rung of the ladder. He was getting pulled by the current…and if he let go he'd be swept away.

Great…Kelly thought. He was gettin' wet…and dirty.

"Get a line…" he told Mills. "I'll go get 'im."

In about a minute the men had rigged up a rescue line and Kelly went down the manhole.

The kid was fighting the water and kicking like crazy.

Kelly positioned himself so he could hold onto the kid while he slipped the harness over his body.

"I gotcha, Kid…put the harness on!"

"I can't!

"I've got you! You're not goin anywhere!"

It took some struggling…but he managed to help the kid into the rescue harness.

"Okay!" he called out. "Pull 'im up!"

The men pulled…and the kid started to rise up from the water…

"Grab the ladder!" Kelly told him. "Climb! I'm right behind you!"

The kid climbed up to the top and the men gave one last tug and hauled him out onto the street…where he lay soaking…and stinking.

Shay and Dawson came over to check him out…and fought their own gag reflexes.

Severide crawled up out of the hole…and he shook his head in disgust.

He walked over toward the truck, and everyone took a step back.

"Very funny…" he growled. "Crack a hydrant so I can rinse this shit off me."

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The bells went off again…around eleven that night.

It was about the fifth call of the shift…so Declan knew the drill.

He jumped in the Squad with Capp and Mills…and they were off.

When they pulled up on scene they saw an apartment building with flames shooting out the windows of practically every floor.

"Dec…you go over by Chief." Kelly said. "Do whatever he tells you…no questions. Got it?"

"Got it." Declan said. "Be safe, Uncle Kelly!"

Chief was issuing his orders.

"The first two floors are clear…we need to get up on three and four."

"We're on it…" Kelly said.

He turned to his men.

"Capp and Hadley take the third…Mills…you're with me. We'll take the penthouse."

And Squad 3 disappeared into the smoke.

"I want two men on the roof!" Chief bellowed.

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The men went to do their jobs.

Cruz and Otis headed topside to vent the roof…the Engine guys fired up the hose lines to get water on the flames.

Casey and Hermann came out of the building each carrying a little kid…a boy and a girl.

They handed them off to Shay and Dawson…

Chief directed Declan to hand out water bottles to the men as they came over to change out their tanks…and he was glad to be able to do something to help.

There was some noise over the radio…and Casey and Hermann quickly pulled their masks back on and ran for the building!

Declan looked around…wondering what was happening.

He saw Casey scramble up a ladder to the third floor…and one of the other men handed an unconscious woman out the window. Casey put her over his shoulder and brought her down.

Up on the fourth floor, Mills crawled out another window, and someone, Declan assumed it was his uncle, helped a man climb out onto the ladder…and Mills took him down.

"Severide!" Chief called out. "Get outta there! Now!"

Declan held his breath…and looked toward the window where Uncle Kelly had been. But there was nothing but thick black smoke coming out.

Capp and Hadley were coming down the ladder from three…

"Severide!" Chief hollered over the radio. "Acknowledge!"

Mills was scrambling back up the ladder, back to the last place Severide had been…

Then…just as Mills was about to go through the window…and Capp was poised to go right behind him…Kelly handed a bundle wrapped in a blanket out the window to Mills…who hugged it close to his body as he backed down the ladder. Kelly climbed out a few seconds later…and ducked his head down as a fireball shot out from the window where he had just been.

Dawson met Mills at the foot of the ladder. She took the blanket from him and ran for the ambo.

Mills followed her and Declan saw Dawson pulling back the flaps of the blanket to reveal a little baby…about the same size as Maggie…its face stained with soot.

The paramedics wasted no time. Shay fought to get a line in. Dawson dropped an ET tube down the baby's airway…and Mills attached the ambu bag and inflated the cuff. He squeezed the bag gently, blowing air into its lungs.

Otis jumped behind the wheel of Ambulance 61 and Cruz slammed the back doors shut.

Kelly pulled off his mask and shrugged off his tank. He staggered over to the Squad…the adrenaline was pumping through his body to the point where he felt shaky. Declan handed him a bottle of water…and he chugged it down in about two gulps.

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In the morning, everyone said good-bye to Declan as they walked out of the firehouse toward their cars. Shay and Dawson both gave the boy a big hug…and Casey told him 'don't be a stranger'. Chief Boden shook his hand and told him he'd done a good job.

And the two shared a look.

When they got back to the house after the apartment fire…the men all went to shower. So did Chief…and even though he had a bathroom in his quarters…he walked right into the locker room with the rest of them. And Declan caught a glimpse of something when Chief pulled off his shirt…when Boden turned his back; he saw the web of scars.

Kelly threw his arm around his nephew's shoulders as they headed for the car.

"So…what'd you think?" Kelly asked.

"Best weekend ever!" Declan exclaimed with excitement.

Kelly smiled…because for a moment he was looking at the little boy who dressed up in his turnouts nine years before.

"C'mon…let's go get some breakfast." He said.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7-Premiere**

"Chicago Fire" was set to debut the first Tuesday in October. And the network was throwing a massive party.

One afternoon Kelly was lounging on the couch, half-heartedly flipping through the channels, more interested in Maggie sitting on his chest…when he heard a knock at the front door.

"Now who do you think that could be?" he asked.

Maggie just made her favorite gurgling noise…then giggled.

And Kelly couldn't help but chuckle himself as he swung the baby into his arms and went to answer it.

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Morgan Craddock stood outside on the front porch.

"Look, Maggie…Morgan came to see you…" Kelly told his daughter.

Maggie giggled and kicked her little feet.

"Hi, Maggie!" Morgan said as he leaned down to look the baby in the eyes.

But he was too slow…because Maggie reached out and grabbed a fistful of his hair.

"Oh…no! She's got me!" Morgan cried in mock distress.

And Kelly just laughed as he disentangled his daughter's hand from Morgan's head.

"That's not how we say hello, Silly Girl…" he chided.

He didn't think he'd ever be able to bring himself to actually scold her.

"C'mon in…" Kelly said, as he led Morgan back to the family room. "We were just about to read a book."

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That was one thing Maggie got from her mom. She loved her books…and she could just sit and be read to for hours. Kelly had just made a Barnes and Noble run that morning, as a matter of fact, because he was getting sick of reading the same stories over and over.

"Where's Lyssa?" Morgan asked as he reached for one of the board books on the coffee table.

"She's working at the store. They got a couple big donations and she had to put everything in the computer." Kelly answered.

The thrift store Alyssa and Kathy had started was doing really well. They staffed it with volunteers from church and eighth graders doing community service for confirmation class, but Alyssa went in a couple times a week to do paperwork and just the hundreds of little things that were always coming up.

"What's up?" Kelly asked.

"Here…trade." He said.

Morgan handed Kelly the red and black envelope he was carrying and held out his hands to take Maggie from him.

Kelly opened the envelope while Morgan settled back and started reading "Pat the Bunny" to Maggie.

It was an invitation…to the premiere of "Chicago Fire"…the first Tuesday in October…at some theater downtown…and some party afterwards.

He waited till Morgan closed the book.

"What's this?" he asked as he held up the invite.

"Exactly what it looks like. The network's throwing this big shindig…red carpet, the whole nine yards. And I want you and Alyssa there as my special guests."

"What about your family? Your mom and your grandma?"

"They'll be there…but face it…if it wasn't for you taking all the time you did…there's no way I could have ever pulled this off. I think we've got a good product here…and it's as much your night as it is mine."

Kelly shifted uncomfortably. He didn't want it to be 'his night'. He'd rather sit at home on his couch with Lyssa and just watch the show from there.

But Morgan really had worked his ass off, trying to learn everything he could about being a firefighter. They had had a rough start…but Hollywood had got it in the end.

It was only right that Kelly be there to show his support.

"I don't have to get all dressed up, do I?"

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The big night finally arrived…and Morgan had gone all out, sending a limo to pick them up.

"Look at it this way…" he told Kelly. "This way you can drink as much as you want at the after party. If it's great…we can celebrate all night long. If it sucks…and there's no way that can happen…we can drown our troubles."

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The driver opened the back door…and Kelly stepped out onto the red carpet. He held out his hand to help his wife…and once Alyssa was at his side, he looked around with trepidation.

This was crazy…all the people…held back by a couple of velvet ropes. Half of Chicago must have been standing on that sidewalk! Or so it seemed.

There were these young…girls…screaming.

"Morgan! Morgan! Can I have your autograph?"

Kelly looked at Alyssa.

"It's not too late to make a break for it…"

"Bite your tongue, Severide. I didn't get all dressed up for nothing, here."

He had to admit…his wife looked beautiful.

She was actually dressed sort of casually…in a fire engine red silk tunic dress that stopped about mid-thigh. It was belted snug at the waist…and no one would ever know that she had had three children…or that she was turning forty next year. She wore black peep-toe pumps to give her a little bit of height…and her long brown hair tumbled in a cascade of curls down her back.

Kelly grinned with pride. Every other guy there could just kiss his…

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"Hey! Lieutenant!" Craddock called out.

Hollywood was motioning Kelly and Alyssa over.

He greeted them warmly…and then turned back to the woman he'd been talking to.

"This is Lieutenant Kelly Severide of the Chicago Fire Department." Morgan said. "He's in charge of Squad 3…and I can't even begin to tell you how much I learned from him! I mean…from how to throw on the bunker gear…to how to handle all the tools…I could have never done this if not for him. He spent about six months…making sure I could play this part right and do justice to the efforts of all the men…and women of the fire department."

"Can we get a picture?" the woman asked.

"Sure…" Morgan replied.

Then he thought to introduce this person…

"I'm sorry…this is Paulette Hughes from Entertainment Weekly. She's covering the premiere for their blog."

Kelly started to step back, out of the way.

"No…no, no, Lieutenant…"Ms. Hughes said. "We need you in the picture…"

Kelly shot Hollywood a look that said 'we'll talk later'…nobody ever said pictures were part of the deal.

The flash blinded him momentarily.

"So, Lieutenant…what's it been like for the real firefighters…having all these actors hanging around?"

"Well…uh…" Kelly stammered. "Um…these guys all worked really hard…learning all the things we do. They said they really wanted to get it right…and that's what's important."

"Did you get in front of the cameras at all? Or was it strictly behind the scenes?" she asked.

"Oh…he was right there!" Morgan cut in. "Whenever we shot a scene involving a fire or an accident…whatever…we had the real firefighters right beside us."

"Yeah…safety concerns…" Kelly added.

"Well…I look forward to seeing the finished product." Ms. Hughes said.

Then she moved on to McEwan and some of the other actors.

Kelly turned to Hollywood.

"You forgot to mention the reporters…and the pictures." He said.

"Well, I wanted you to come." Morgan said with a "little boy" grin, before he moved on to the next person.

Kelly and Alyssa watched Hollywood working the crowd…and she slipped her arm around his waist.

"Relax, Honey…Morgan's just grateful for everything you did for him. He wants to make sure you get a little recognition…"

"When have I ever wanted recognition?" he asked.

"Just roll with it…it's a couple hours out of your life." She chided gently.

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They stepped into the theater…and settled into their seats.

Seeing it all on the big screen, and in HD, no less was sure different than watching it on the monitor with the director and everybody else gathered around. The fire where "Hickson" was killed was particularly vivid…and Kelly wondered how Casey was handling all this. He had volunteered for babysitting duty…so he was watching at Kelly's house…on Kelly's sofa.

They got caught up in the aftermath…and how each character dealt with everything in their own way. McEwan's character, Lieutenant Jack Perry, was concealing a serious shoulder injury…they'd had to write that in to compensate for his real shoulder injury. He was having his girlfriend…a medical resident…slip him meds under the table.

Lieutenant Whitlock was devastated by the loss of his oldest friend…and he drank himself into a stupor every night in order to avoid the nightmares that came whenever he closed his eyes.

Both those parts made Kelly squirm in his seat.

Whitlock also managed to sneak into the equipment room for a quickie with the gorgeous new department clerk. And Kelly flashed back to Nicki Rutkowski…who hadn't crossed his mind in years.

But the climactic ending…where Whitlock and the Squad had to save Perry and another firefighter after they fell through the floor into the basement of a burning building…there was a tense moment where Whitlock and Perry were both in danger of tumbling back into the flames.

Alyssa turned her head and hid her eyes as she saw Kelly in the shot, helping to pull Morgan and Dylan to safety.

She was holding tight to his right arm…and she buried her face against his shoulder. Kelly reached across to touch her reassuringly. He turned his head and gave her a quick little kiss against her hair.

"It's okay, Babe…" he whispered to her. "It's okay."

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After the episode…they moved the party over to the Chicago Firehouse restaurant…which had been rented out for the occasion.

The room was literally buzzing with excitement as people exclaimed to one another how great everything was. The drama…the heartache…the romance…how gorgeous the actors were.

Kelly had to admit it was pretty impressive…and he was happy for Hollywood. This was a whole new leaping off point for him in terms of his career. Already you could see that Aaron Whitlock was going to be a complicated character…he came off like a prick at times…but when he was alone, Kelly could see the pain and torture in his eyes.

It was like looking in a mirror…way back when.

"So…what'd you think?"

Kelly turned to the voice behind him.

Morgan Craddock was standing there…waiting for his answer.

He nodded slowly.

"You did good. I think you pulled it off just right."

He slapped Morgan on the back.

"I'm really proud of you."

The two men went up to the bar…

"Give us your best Scotch…" Craddock told the bartender.

The man poured them each three fingers…and Severide and Craddock toasted to a job well done.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8-Maggie's First Halloween…and Extras!**

"And…Cut!"

Everyone on the set relaxed.

Kelly was back on the set of "Chicago Fire"…they were about six episodes in…and three had aired already. The response was good…the first week they captured about eight percent of the Nielsen's…the second week about nine and a half…by the third week they were up to twelve.

The network had already gone ahead and ordered a full twenty-four episodes.

He pulled his helmet off and opened his jacket, hoping to catch a breeze. The weather was still pretty warm…and standing around in full gear was only slightly more tolerable in terms of temperature than fighting an actual fire.

"Good God…how do you stand all this stuff?" Craddock said as he pulled off his helmet and then his jacket. "I'm gonna have to shower before we shoot the bar scene…"

His blue t-shirt was dripping with sweat. And they were still supposed to shoot another scene…at another location…where Whitlock picks up this girl in a bar.

Kelly chuckled as he remembered back to when Morgan had told him he wanted to prove to people that he could do more than just take his shirt off for the camera. In every episode, Hollywood had had at least one shirtless scene…and his character had already bedded two different women. Tonight's conquest would be his third.

"Yeah…you're pretty ripe there…" Kelly agreed.

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Morgan changed the subject.

"What are Andy and Jesse gonna be for Halloween?" he asked.

Kelly rolled his eyes.

"Same thing they've been for the past seven Halloweens…" he said. "I had to order their costumes in the next size up."

Some things never changed. Andy and Jesse were always firefighters for Halloween. From their very first one…Alyssa had just copied Kelly's gear…and shrunk it down.

Morgan chuckled.

"And what about Maggie? What's she gonna be?"

Kelly just shrugged.

"Don't know…Lyssa hasn't told me yet."

"Well, there's kinda a reason I'm askin'…" Morgan said. "Did you see the script for the next episode yet?"

Severide shook his head.

"Not yet…why?"

"It's the Halloween episode…and there's a scene where the kids come trick-or-treating at the firehouse. I thought it might be cool to have Andy and Jesse…and Maggie in the scene. I wanna suggest it, but…of course, I had to run it by you first."

Kelly considered it.

"Andy and Jesse would think it's cool. I'll talk to Lyssa. I don't know about the baby."

"Think it over…let me know." Craddock said. "Now…if you'll excuse me. I've got a hot date tonight…and I want to freshen up a bit."

Kelly laughed.

"Or I could just turn the hose on you…"

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Kelly wasn't needed for the bar scene. Craddock apparently didn't need a wingman. Which was fine with him. He'd get home in time for dinner…play with the boys…put Maggie to bed…and get some alone time with his wife.

But when he walked in the door all his plans for a quiet evening went right out the window.

The twins were arguing in the living room…

"Maggie can _so_ be a firefighter!" Andy shouted.

"No she can't!" Jesse shouted back. "She's a _girl_!"

"Girls can be firefighters!"

Jesse gave an exasperated sigh.

"Maggie has to be a princess…or a fairy…or a butterfly…or some _girls'_ thing!"

"That's stupid!" Andy told him.

"_You're_ stupid!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

And then Kelly heard a crash.

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He quickened his step…and when he got to the living room Andy and Jesse were wrestling on the floor, punching and kicking all the while.

Kelly reached into the fray and pulled the two apart. He held each boy by one arm.

"Hey!" he shouted. "That's enough! Is that how we act in this house?"

He dragged Andy to one corner of the sectional couch and roughly sat him down. Then he dragged Jesse across the room and plopped him down on the other end.

"I don't want you guys hitting each other!"

"But he said I was stupid!" Andy protested.

"You _are_!" Jesse shouted.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Kelly raised his voice to be heard over the twins. "I don't care who said what! We don't hit one another in this family!"

"He says Maggie should be a firefighter for trick-or-treat…" Jesse said. "And she's a _girl_!"

"So what!" Andy retorted. "She can be a firefighter if she wants to be!"

Jesse rolled his eyes and huffed…

"She can't even _talk_ yet!" he said. "How's she gonna say what she wants to be?"

"Mom and I'll decide what Maggie's gonna be." Kelly told them. "Now…you two need to apologize to one another…or your sister's gonna be trick-or-treating by herself!"

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Later that night, after the kids were in bed, Kelly shut the bedroom door behind him.

He leaned back against it with a sigh of relief.

Andy and Jesse had been picking at each other all night long…name-calling…sticking their tongues out at one another…

Having been an only child…Kelly didn't get it. He wasn't used to that. And he didn't really have a lot of patience for it.

Alyssa came out of the bathroom dressed in one of his t-shirts. Kelly watched appreciatively as she turned back the covers on the bed.

He pushed himself off the door and pulled his shirt over his head in one fluid motion. He caught Alyssa in his arms and pulled her against his well-muscled chest.

She slipped her arms up around his neck and he leaned down to capture he lips in a deep kiss.

When they reluctantly came up for air, Kelly easily lifted his wife into his arms and carried her to the bed. He set her down…then dropped his pants and climbed in beside her.

He gently laid her down and slipped his hand beneath her shirt…caressing her soft, silky smooth skin.

He had intended to talk to her about Morgan's suggestion…about the kids being on the show…but that could wait till morning. Right now there was something else that took top priority.

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The next morning he came downstairs. Alyssa was getting breakfast together. She poured him a cup of coffee and set it down on the counter.

Kelly picked it up and took it to the table.

Maggie was sitting in her high chair chasing Cheerios around the tray. Every time she tried to pick one up, they would all scatter…and she was getting frustrated. Kelly could see her little face screwing up…she was about ready to let loose with a flood of tears.

He reached down and picked up a Cheerio…and slipped it into her mouth. As she gummed on it, he picked up another.

"Lyssa…Morgan asked me about somethin' yesterday…" he started. "What do you think about the kids being in a scene on the show? They're gonna shoot the Halloween episode…and they've got a scene with neighborhood kids trick-or-treating at the firehouse."

"Andy and Jesse'll be all over that…" Alyssa said.

"What about Maggie…" he asked as he smiled down at his baby girl.

"That depends…you know that if she sees you...that's the end of it. It would all depend on how they wanted to handle it."

"Well…whaddya expect?" Kelly told her. "She's Daddy's little princess…"

Alyssa sighed as she set Kelly's plate down on the table.

"I don't suppose it'd be too much to ask that I get just one kid who looks like me out of the deal…" she said in a teasing voice.

Kelly stepped away from the high chair and caught Alyssa up in his arms. He leaned down to kiss her…

"I'm always ready to work on that, Baby…" he growled playfully. "We can get started right now…"

"If only you didn't have to be at work in thirty minutes…" she teased back.

"I can always call in sick…" he offered. "I'm feelin' a little achy. In fact…I think maybe I should go get back in bed…"

He slid his hand down her back…over her ass.

"Nice try, Severide…" she told him.

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Kelly called Morgan and told him it was okay to use the kids in the trick-or-treat scene.

And three days later, Andy and Jesse were on the set wearing their brand new firefighter costumes. Alyssa had been up all night putting the sticky lettering on the back…so they said "Chicago Fire Department"…and had "Severide" across the bottom. She had made the little red and white arm bands with the words "Rescue Squad"…and fashioned the shields that went on their little plastic helmets so they had a "3"…just like Daddy's.

Maggie was a bumble bee…and she looked absolutely adorable in her little bubble costume with the black and yellow stripes across the body over her black turtleneck and leggings. She had little black and yellow booties on her feet…and a tiny headband with antennae sticking out.

And Alyssa was absolutely right…as soon as she saw Kelly she was squirming and fighting to get to him…and the director had to do some fast thinking.

So they settled on the "Chief" standing out in front of the house to greet the children and hand out the candy…and Alyssa coming up with the children. She carried Maggie…and Kelly came out of the fictional Station 12 to greet his "family"…coming to see their Daddy in their Halloween costumes.

No words spoken…just art imitating real life.

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A few weeks later they did it all again…this time for real. The kids were back in their costumes and Kelly took them house to house around the neighborhood. He and Nicky went up and down the block with the kids. Connor was dressed as a character from the newest Transformers movie…number eleven or twelve…Kelly couldn't keep track anymore. Aiden was really getting too old for trick-or-treat…he was almost twelve. He had painted his face to look like some generic monster…Kelly thought it was pretty gross…with the fake blood and everything. And Maggie didn't like it either.

Kelly carried Maggie in his arms…and she giggled and gurgled and kicked her little feet in their black and yellow furry booties. It was the perfect day for trick-or-treating…not too hot, not too cold. She carried a little orange plastic pumpkin, but just for show. It wouldn't hold more than a couple pieces of candy anyway.

But her big brothers solved that problem.

Andy ran up the steps to ring the doorbell…Jesse and Connor right behind him.

"Trick-or-treat!" the boys shouted in unison.

The neighbor oohed and aahed over their costumes…the same as every year as she dropped a few pieces of candy into each bag.

"Thank-you!" the boys said…

But Andy wasn't done.

"Could we have some extra candy? For my baby sister?" he asked innocently.

He looked back at Kelly standing down on the sidewalk cuddling Maggie in his arms, totally oblivious to the scam his boys were running up on the porch.

"Yeah…she's only got a tiny little pumpkin…" Jesse added sweetly.

"It's her first Halloween." Andy finished.

How could anyone refuse that? The woman dropped a few extra pieces of candy into each one of their bags.

Andy and Jesse ran back to their dad all smiles.

"You must've had a good haul…" Kelly said as he grinned at his sons.

"Yeah…we sure did!" Jesse grinned right back.

"Best Halloween ever!" Andy proclaimed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9-Extreme Hoarders**

"Truck 81…Ambulance 61…medical emergency…"

Everyone ran out to the apparatus room and moments later they were rolling out the door.

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They maneuvered onto the narrow street and ran up to the building.

It was an old apartment building maybe built in the thirties or the forties…maybe before. Someone was laying on the buzzer to let them in.

Once inside…there was some confusion. Usually someone was there to direct them…some hysterical relative or neighbor pointing the way. But there was no one.

"Hey…any direction on which apartment?" Casey said.

Nobody knew.

"Fire Department!" Casey shouted at the top of his lungs.

He listened…

"Second floor!" a voice called out.

They trooped up the stairs…only to find a closed door.

Casey pounded his fist against it.

"Fire Department!" he yelled. "Open up!"

The door opened…just a crack.

The face of a harried looking woman…maybe in her thirties or forties…appeared in the void.

The firefighters could hear someone screaming in the background.

"No! They can't come in here! Tell them to go away!"

"Shut up, Ma!" the woman screamed back.

She turned back to the door.

"It's my father!"

"Open the door!" Dawson told her. "You've gotta let us in!"

"This is as wide as I can open it!" the woman cried. "The door's blocked!"

Shay and Dawson looked at one another.

Now what!

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"Is there a back entrance?" Casey asked.

"Yes…"

"Hermann! Cruz! Otis! Go around the back!" he ordered.

The three men trooped down the steps and rushed around the back of the building.

And they fared no better than the people at the front.

"No go, Lieutenant." Hermann's voice came over the radio. "Everything's boarded up back here."

"Tear it down!" Casey yelled back.

That set the older woman off all over again.

"No! Stop! I'll call the police!"

"Stop it, Ma!" the daughter yelled. "Daddy's gonna die!"

Dawson turned to Casey.

"We need more help!" she said.

Casey nodded.

"Command…we're gonna need a Squad out here. Roll Squad 3, over?"

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Squad arrived on the scene.

Hermann and the others hadn't had any more luck gaining access…and the minutes were ticking by.

They had pried off the boards and forced in the back door…but it was obstructed from the inside. They couldn't open it more than a foot or so.

Severide and company trooped up the stairs…

"What's the problem?" he asked.

"Can't get in…" Casey said. "We need some of your fancy toys."

Kelly threw his shoulder against the door…he was able to see a bit of the apartment.

Someone was a hoarder.

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He turned back to Mills and Capp…

"We're gonna have to go in through the ceiling."

Capp and Mills went out to get the tools.

Kelly and Casey went up to the third floor…and Kelly pounded on the door.

"Fire Department! Open up!"

A man in his fifties opened the door.

"Whaddya want?" he demanded.

"We're gonna need to cut through your floor to get into the apartment below you." Casey said.

"Cut through my floor?!" the man sputtered incredulously. "Oh, hell no! You're not stepping one foot in my house!"

"Sir…you're neighbor's really sick…"

"I don't care! Those people are fucking nuts!" he yelled. "You're not gonna tear up my house over a bunch of fucking lunatics!"

"I'm sorry, Sir…but we really don't have a choice." Severide told him as he shoved past the man.

"I'm calling the police! And my lawyer!"

"You do that…" Kelly told him as he and Casey started shoving the dining room furniture aside.

Mills and Capp came through the door with the K-12.

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In a few minutes Severide had a hole in the floor…and he and Mills were lowered down. Shay was lowered right behind them and the daughter led her through the maze of paper and piles to the bedrooms.

Kelly and Mills set to work tearing down the wall of garbage that was barricading the door.

"Stop!" the mother yelled.

She was crying and tearing at her hair…

"Stop! Please! Don't touch my things! You're touching my things!"

Severide didn't stop…he couldn't.

He felt the woman crash against his back.

"You're ruining my things!"

Kelly turned to the woman.

"Ma'am…back off! Let us do our job!"

The woman gave an anguished, primal cry…and she lunged at Severide.

Kelly tried to grab her…but truthfully he was taken off guard.

The woman's fingernails raked down the left side of his face…and she grabbed on to his neck and left four parallel gashes there as well.

Severide roared in pain…and Mills grabbed her from behind and pulled her off the Lieutenant.

"Hey!" He yelled to the daughter. "You need to control your mom!"

The daughter came running from the bedroom and Mills tried to pass the hysterical woman off to her.

But the mother lunged at Mills…and caught him with her talons.

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Between Mills and the daughter…they forced the mother into the second bedroom…and closed the door.

Kelly could hear her screaming and he could hear things crashing and breaking…but he couldn't worry about that. Ignoring the sting of the gashes on his face he attacked the piles of crap with a vengeance.

Mills came back and together they worked until they had cleared a path to the front door of the apartment.

They pulled the door open and Casey, Dawson, Hermann and Otis rushed in.

As they carried the unconscious victim out the door and down the stairs to the waiting ambulance…Shay took a second to stop and look at Kelly's face.

"You need to get those washed out. You might need a couple of stitches."

A second ambulance company arrived to deal with the mother. They had to sedate and restrain her before they could transport her to Lakeshore along with her husband.

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Kelly stayed at the scene….and helped the guys from Truck board up the hole in the ceiling…and the floor in the apartment above.

The man from upstairs was still livid.

"I'm gonna sue the city!" he threatened.

Severide just looked at him with tired eyes. He had sweat pouring down his face and his neck…the salt in his perspiration getting into the gashes the crazy lady had left and stinging like hell.

"The city'll take care of the repairs…" he said. "You don't have to get your shorts all in a bunch."

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He got back to the house…and the minute he had his gear off Shay dragged him over to the back of the ambo.

"Can't I just go take a shower?" he asked.

"No…God only knows what was in that place." She told him. "Besides…I checked your file. You're overdue for your tetanus shot."

Boden came over and took one look at Kelly's face.

"Run 'im down to the ER…" Chief said. "Get those looked at."

Kelly just sighed and rolled his eyes.

Shay started to guide him into the back.

"C'mon…let's go." She said.

"Coming, _Mother_…" Kelly growled.

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He called Lyssa and she met him down at Lakeshore. Even though he told her it was no big deal…she came anyway. Just the way she always did.

She gently traced her fingers down the side of his face, looking at the deep scratches. They'd stopped bleeding. That was good.

"Oh…Baby…" she whispered.

In another room they could hear the woman who had done this to him. She was still screaming and carrying on. She wanted to go home…she needed her things…they ruined her things…she had to get home.

Every so often she'd let out this primal scream…and everyone in the whole ER jumped.

"Can't they give her something?" Alyssa asked.

Shay came into the room…having checked on the old man. He had had a massive stroke…and they were giving him TPA to try to break up the clot.

"They did…" she answered, just as the lady let out another shriek.

Alyssa stiffened.

"She's upsetting everyone …"

Kelly didn't disagree…but he also knew it wasn't the woman's fault…how anyone could live the way she did was beyond him. Not only that…but it looked like she essentially held her husband and daughter captive with her insanity.

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Shay went out again…to see if she could get anything more on the husband.

"Lyssa…it's okay…" he told her.

She was particularly agitated…

"I'll be fine." He said. "This is nothing…just a couple scratches."

"I know…it's just…and I know that woman's crazy…but she attacked you for doing your job!" she said. "It's one thing when you get hurt…like your knee…or your neck, or your shoulder. I can deal with that…but it's like with that mob…that tried to keep you guys out of the burning house. They were preventing you from doing what you had to do. The reason you were there in the first place."

She wasn't explaining herself…she knew that.

Kelly took her hand. She loved him…he knew that. She didn't like to see him hurt.

He felt the same way…

If the situation were reversed…and it was Alyssa sitting there with her face all scraped up…he'd prob'ly go right into the next room and tear the old lady apart. Crazy or not…

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They cleaned the scratches on his face and his neck…and the PA closed the deepest ones with steri-strips. He was supposed to leave them till they fell off…in a few days. And they updated his tetanus vaccine. That hurt worse than the gouges in his skin.

"Do you have to back, Honey?" Alyssa asked as they got ready to leave.

"I prob'ly should…" he said.

Leslie came back just as they were leaving the room.

"Boden said to tell you to just go home…" she said.

Good…

He nodded…and draped his arm around Alyssa's shoulders.

They made their way out to the car…and headed back to their little house.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10—Swimming Lessons**

Kelly came in through the kitchen door and he immediately knew something was wrong.

He could hear Maggie crying upstairs in her room…so he dropped his bag and took the stairs two at a time.

"Lyssa?" he called out as he reached the top.

Alyssa stuck her head out of the kids' bathroom.

"Oh…thank God you're home." She said. "Can you get Maggie? She needs her bottle…and she's probably wet."

"What's goin' on?" Kelly asked.

Mornings weren't usually so chaotic.

Then he heard a tiny, pitiful, little voice.

"Mommy?"

Jesse was sick.

Alyssa ducked back into the bathroom and Kelly heard Jesse retching.

This was going to be a fun day…

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He went into the nursery and Maggie was standing in her crib holding on to the side…crying at the unfairness of having been forgotten.

"Its okay, Baby Girl…" Kelly told her as he picked her up. "Daddy's here…I've got you."

He laid her down on the changing table and removed a Pamper that probably weighed as much as Maggie.

After he cleaned and powdered her he snapped up her sleeper again and picked her up.

He stuck his head in the bathroom to find Jesse curled up in Alyssa's lap looking sick as a dog.

Kelly took Maggie downstairs and got her breakfast…her cereal and fruit…and made himself a cup of coffee.

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Alyssa came down the stairs carrying Jesse.

He was almost as big as she was…but when he was this sick…

She took him in the family room and laid him on the couch…then ran into the kitchen to get a bottle of Gatorade, a cup, and a medicine dispenser.

"What's goin' on with Jesse?" Kelly asked.

"He's been up all night…" Alyssa said tiredly. "He got sick in his bed about one in the morning."

"Why didn't you call me?" he asked.

He felt guilty. It had been a pretty quiet shift…and at one o'clock he'd been sleeping like a baby. To think that Alyssa was home alone with three kids…and one of 'em throwing up all night…

"I was a little preoccupied, Kelly." She replied tersely.

"I'm sorry, Babe…" he said.

The last thing he wanted to do was pick a fight with her.

"What can I do?"

Alyssa thought for a second…and then she remembered.

"Honey…today's Maggie's swimming lesson at the Y."

"She's like…eight months old. She can't even walk yet."

"Its parent/infant swim…you go in the water with her." Alyssa told him. "You can take her to that…it's at ten thirty."

That gave him a little over an hour…

"What do I need to do?"

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It felt really, really weird going into the men's locker room with a baby. The place was almost empty…just a few men about his dad's age.

He slipped into his trunks…and started to get Maggie into her swimsuit.

First he had to put this stupid looking diaper on…there was nothing to it…how was that gonna catch anything she did?

Oh, well…Alyssa said it was the rule. No swim diaper, no swim class.

Then he wiggled Maggie into a cotton candy pink one piece suit with silver ruffles around the straps and across her butt.

He scooped Maggie into his arms and grabbed their towels. He carried his daughter out to the pool where everyone was waiting.

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He was immediately aware of everyone's eyes on him. He glanced around…and saw he was the only dad there. He was the only man in the entire place…

There were six other babies…and their mothers. The instructor…a little blonde thing Kelly thought was supposed to be in high school…called out the babies' names.

Simon…Hillary…Becca…Destiny…Benjamin…Tessie…and Maggie.

They all got into the water. It was one of those zero-depth pools where you walked right in. Kelly waded in just above his waist…and dipped Maggie in the pool. Right away, she giggled and squealed. She loved her bath at home…it only made sense that she'd love this too.

The moms hadn't stopped staring at him…and it was getting really uncomfortable.

Then one of the women introduced herself.

"My name's Jennifer…and this is Benji."

"I'm Kelly…"

"We don't get many daddies around here…" Jennifer observed.

"Well, my wife would have been here…but one of our other kids is sick."

"Oh…well…it's…nice you could come."

The instructor asked everyone to form a circle…and everyone started walking around.

Kelly decided to just go with the flow…until the moms started singing "Ring Around a Rosey"…

When they got to the part about all fall down they dunked the babies in the water. A couple actually dunked them…the others just sunk them a little lower in the water.

Then they started again!

They did that about three times…and Kelly though it was just about the most ridiculous thing he'd ever seen in his life. He was gonna have to talk to Alyssa about this when he got home.

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Thankfully they didn't sing anymore…they all fanned out to let the babies kick.

Kelly separated himself and Maggie from the rest of those lunatics…and he sank down into the water up to about his shoulders. Nobody had to tell him what to do. He held Maggie out in front of him.

"Can you kick, Baby Girl?" he asked her. "Can you kick for Daddy?"

Maggie just laughed as she kicked her little feet. The sound echoed all over the pool…and Kelly couldn't help but chuckle himself.

He never did rejoin the circle…he and Maggie were doing fine on their own.

They splashed and laughed…especially when he tried to get her to blow some bubbles. She could already make really good "raspberries"…having two big brothers. And the bubbles in the pool fascinated the little girl.

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When the lesson was over, Maggie didn't want to get out. Again, no surprise there. She'd stay in the bathtub till she was blue if he'd let her.

As he stepped out of the pool onto the deck…he was immediately aware of all the moms staring at him again. He felt like he was under a microscope or something.

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He wrapped Maggie in her towel and set her on the bench right in front of him. Then he quickly wrapped his towel around his waist…grabbed his baby…and fled into the locker room.

Once he was safe inside, he dried Maggie off and changed her back into her clothes. He'd have to give her a good bath as soon as they got home and wash the chlorine off her. Once she was dressed, he stood her on the floor beside the bench that ran between the rows of lockers.

She was pretty good as long as she had something to hold onto.

Kelly dressed as fast as he could…and slipped his leather jacket on. Then he packed his wet suit and towel along with Maggie's into his gym bag.

He pulled Maggie's jacket on…picked her up and carried her out.

"Did we have fun, Baby Girl?" he asked as they made their way to the car.

Maggie just giggled and clapped her chubby little hands.

And Kelly couldn't help but smile as he shifted his grip on the baby and cuddled her close.

"Let's go home and see how Jesse's doin'…" he said.

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Alyssa was curled up on the couch with Jesse in her arms. He'd fallen asleep against her shoulder.

Kelly came in the back carrying Maggie…who'd passed out in the car on the way home. He set the bag in the laundry room and carefully shrugged off his jacket, trying not to wake the baby. Finally he peeled her coat off and carried her into the family room where they kept a port-a-crib set up.

Andy and Jesse called it "Baby Jail".

He laid her down and joined Alyssa over on the sofa.

He leaned in to kiss her…and he laid his hand on Jesse's cheek.

He was really warm.

"He's running a fever…" Kelly said.

"101.8…" Alyssa replied. "I called the doctor…she can see him at two. I already called Leslie. She's coming to stay with Maggie…and Andy can walk home with Nicole and Garrett. I need you to help me take Jesse. I can't carry him."

"No problem, Baby." He told her.

Alyssa leaned against his strong shoulder…

"How was the lesson?" she asked.

"Maggie loved the water…" Kelly answered diplomatically.

"And what about you?"

"All those women were staring at me." He said. "I mean…they've all got babies…I think it's safe to say they've seen a man before…"

Lyssa chuckled quietly.

"Honey…I guarantee…they've never laid eyes on a man like you."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11-Goodnight Moon**

"Goodnight stars…Goodnight air…Goodnight noises everywhere…the end."

Kelly finished the book…and Maggie reached out and started pawing at the pages of the board book, trying to turn back to the beginning.

"Again?" he asked with an exaggerated sigh.

It was the same routine every night…it varied very little.

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Kelly had always hated to read when he was a kid. He hated anything that required being quiet and still for that matter. He still didn't like it. If it wasn't something from one of the professional journals, something about a new piece of equipment, or the sports page he didn't bother.

Getting him to sit down with a book was an exercise in futility. He doubted he had read a novel since high school…and back then he usually just read the Cliff Notes.

But he always read to his kids.

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Alyssa was big on books…so they had enough to start their own library. She'd started reading to the twins almost immediately…with mixed results.

Jesse was a passive child…you could pretty much do anything to him and he never fussed. He'd sit still for books…no problem.

Andy, on the other hand, forget it. He was Kelly all over again…or so said Aunt Kathy…and Benny.

But every night, after their bath and their pj's…Kelly sat down to read a couple of stories. It was his special time with the kids…and it was sacrosanct.

They had all kinds of books…fairy tales, Dr. Seuss, Thomas the Train, all the Disney stories. But they always kept coming back the same few.

Andy's favorite book was called "The Five Little Firemen"…it was an old children's book…and they'd probably gone through three or four copies…Andy was always tearing the pages. Every night, Kelly read that story. Even now, almost eight years later, he could still say it by heart.

Jesse liked it too…but then again, he liked anything. He just settled back in Kelly's lap and was perfectly content.

Andy was a more active participant. If Kelly tried to read a book he didn't like…like "Goodnight Moon" (which coincidently was by the same person who wrote "The Five Little Firemen") he reached out and took it right out of Kelly's hands. And once he got a little bigger he threw it across the room.

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Having a daughter was a whole different universe. Not just having to figure out different clothes…and tiny buckles on shoes…or little barrettes in what little hair she had. Maggie already knew how to get what she wanted. She only had to look at Kelly with those teal blue eyes, and turn the rosy little bottom lip out just a tiny bit…and he would have reached up into the sky and handed her a star if he could.

And he wasn't the only one she had running in circles. Her little trick worked on her brothers, her grandpa, all her uncles…

Alyssa said he had to toughen up when it came to Maggie…otherwise he'd be buying a pony in the very near future…and he'd better start saving for the car she was sure to want the day she turned sixteen.

Little did she know he already had.

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But now he held her in the crook of his arm…as he read "Goodnight Moon" for the fourth time in a row.

"Goodnight stars…Goodnight air…Goodnight noises everywhere…the end."

Maggie reached out again to try to turn it back to the beginning.

"No more, Baby Girl…" he said. "Four times is enough for one night. Daddy'll read it again tomorrow."

She looked up at him…but before the little lip could pout, Maggie gave a great, big yawn.

Kelly chuckled softly.

"C'mon…time for bed."

He put her up on his shoulder and rubbed gentle circles on her back. Maggie grabbed the collar of his t-shirt and twisted it in her little fist…then she drew it up under her chin.

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Kelly rocked for a while in the chair Casey had made…till Alyssa came in.

Just the sight of Daddy and daughter made her smile…

"You need some help?" she asked.

"She's got me…" he answered with a grin.

Alyssa came to untangle her grip on his shirt.

"In more ways than one, Severide." She said. "In more ways than one."

She peeled Maggie away from Kelly and laid the little girl in her crib. She covered her with her blanket and touched the little strawberry blonde curls with one finger.

Kelly came up beside her and put one arm around his wife…and with the other he reached down to touch his sleeping daughter.

"Ready for round two?" Alyssa whispered. "Andy and Jesse are ready to go…"

Kelly leaned down to give his wife a little kiss.

"And then I get to tuck you in…" he whispered back.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12-Two Birthdays and a Christmas**

Christmas was going to be a problem this year.

Andy and Jesse would be turning eight on Christmas Eve. Having a birthday right on the holiday was tricky. Alyssa and Kelly had always tried to make sure that there was a special celebration…and not lump everything together.

But this year was Maggie's first Christmas…and the whole family…Alyssa's brothers, Kelly's cousins, and everyone at the firehouse was excited to finally have a little girl to shower with dollies and tea sets and pink and purple. Every shift he'd worked for the last month, at least one person came up to Kelly with an ad or a catalog or something wanting to show him a picture of what they were getting his daughter for Christmas.

Everyone was so excited, Kelly worried that it might eclipse the boys' birthday celebration. So he wanted to do something special…something big…something all their very own.

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The answer came over the Internet…he was looking at the sports…when one of those constantly changing advertisements caught his eye.

He clicked on it…and his face lit up with a huge grin.

This was perfect. And Andy and Jesse would never forget it.

He told Alyssa his idea…and she was hesitant. Some people might not like it, she warned him. Some people might feel left out.

But Kelly had made up his mind. This is what he's going to do. Period.

So he started making the rounds, setting everything up.

He called his brothers-in-law…his cousins…his dad…even Kyle Riordan, who said he wouldn't miss it for the world.

And he had a bunch of conversations at work…with Casey, Mills, Cruz, Hermann, Otis…everybody said they were in.

Then he found out Eric Whaley and his family would be in town…and he called them too.

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On the appointed day, he was deliberately evasive with the twins about what the plans were. It was a Saturday…and he wasn't working…so they wanted to go to the movies…or to play basketball…or out for pizza.

"I've got something I need to do today, guys. Something really important."

"What is it?" Andy asked.

"Just something…I'm gonna have to get going in a little while."

"Can we go with you?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah, can we go with you?" Andy echoed. "Please?"

Kelly pretended to consider it.

"I don't know…it's a pretty long drive." He said. "You guys might get bored."

"We won't!" Jesse insisted.

"We won't even ask 'are we there yet'!" Andy added.

Kelly hated it when they asked that. He always threatened to turn the car around and go right home every time they did.

He pondered Andy's promise…

"Well…let's talk to Mom first. Make sure she doesn't need you here to help with Maggie or something."

The twins ran off to find Alyssa and beg to be allowed to go with Kelly on his mysterious errand…Kelly just smiled to himself.

The boys had no idea…

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Alyssa had "grudgingly" agreed that the boys could go with Kelly…and she sent them off with the usual, 'be good', 'no fighting', 'don't make your dad crazy'. And she gave Kelly the usual 'don't let 'em fill up on junk food' and 'be home for dinner'.

So he hustled Andy and Jesse into their coats…and out to the car. Then he drove out of the city and jumped on 290.

"Where are we doing, Dad?" Andy asked.

"I've gotta meet up with some guys…" Kelly told him.

"And do what?" Jesse asked.

"They wanted me to take a look at a couple of cars…"

That made sense to Andy and Jesse. Their dad knew _everything_ about cars…

And they were excited that they were getting to go along on this obviously grown-up errand.

It was a long ride…all the way out to someplace called Addison…but neither boy dared ask 'are we there yet'.

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They pulled into the parking lot of a huge building. The sign said "K1 Speed".

"C'mon guys…we're here." Kelly said.

They unbuckled their seat belts and Kelly opened the back driver's side door. Andy and Jesse slid out and held onto their dad's hands as they walked in the door.

The place was huge! They walked in and the walls were bright red…the floors were black and white squares…and there were pictures all over of _really cool_ looking race cars!

Kelly walked up to the counter.

"Hi. My name's Kelly Severide. I'm supposed to be meeting someone named Jordan?"

A young guy stepped out from behind the counter.

"I'm Jordan. Everything's ready for you." He said. "If you'll just follow me…"

He led them down a long hall…but one wall was nothing but windows…looking out on a real race track! And there were real cars driving on it!

Jordan stopped outside one of the doors…the boys could see thorough the little window that it was dark in there.

Jordan opened up the door and motioned for Kelly and the twins to step in.

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"SURPRISE!" everyone yelled when the lights went on!

Jesse jumped and hid behind Kelly. Andy just smiled the biggest smile of his life.

There was Uncle Matt and Uncle Pete and Uncle Chris…Uncle Jose…Uncle Nick, Uncle Jimmy, Connor, Aiden, Declan…Garrett…Micah.

Hollywood was there…and Mr. Riordan was there with Kevin and Danny! And Mr. Whaley was there with Scott and Jeff all the way from Florida!

Everybody was there!

"Happy Birthday guys!" Kelly said with a huge smile.

"It's a party?" Andy asked…still trying to process it all.

"For us?" Jesse said.

"Yeah…I thought you guys were old enough for a special guys' day out! So we're gonna go go-kart racing!"

"We get to drive the cars?" Andy shouted. "No way! That is so cool!"

They had their "party" first…pizza and pop…then two cakes Uncle Pete had brought. Chocolate for Andy…Funfetti for Jesse.

And when they had finished their party…they went out on the track.

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They had to go in groups…the youngest first…Andy, Jesse, Connor, Kevin, Danny and Micah…

The older kids went together…then the big boys got to play!

The little guys got to have their own Grand Prix…and there were even trophies for first, second and third place! They actually had to give out two second place trophies…because Kevin and Connor crossed the finish line at the same time. It was too close to call! Andy came in first…and Micah came in third.

When the big boys got out there…it was all out war! Kelly and Casey were running neck and neck for twelve whole laps…and Mills spun out trying to catch them.

"So…what'd you think, guys?" Kelly asked as they headed to the car when their afternoon was over.

They had stayed a couple hours after the official end of the party…because they were having such an awesome time.

Kelly almost had a heart attack when he saw the bill…but seeing the look on his sons' faces made it worth every cent.

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The next night was Christmas Eve…and everyone gathered at the Severide's. Everyone was there…Alyssa's brothers, all the cousins, Morgan, Uncle Matt…Uncle Pete…Aunt Gabby…Aunt Leslie.

Shay and Dawson were really pissed at having been excluded from yesterday's testosterone-fueled outing…and Kelly was in the doghouse.

"C'mon…he argued with Shay. "It was a _guy's_ day!"

"You don't need a Y chromosome to drive a go-kart!"

"No…but you needed one to score an invite to the party." He teased. "Just deal with it, Shay."

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After everyone had had their fill of pasta…and three kinds of chicken…and Alyssa's homemade braciole, the whole family went into the living room…where Santa had apparently dropped off every present in his sleigh.

Once the mountains of gifts had been handed out all the little kids tore into their piles. The older ones, like Samantha and Declan, Aiden, Garrett and Nicole tried to play it cool, but they were working just as fast as the twins and Connor.

Maggie wasn't sure what to do. She had probably the biggest pile of anyone and she just banged on the boxes.

"Here, Baby Girl…" Kelly told her as he sat down on the floor beside her. "Daddy'll help."

He started to tear a corner…hoping she'd get the idea. But she just cocked her head to one side and watched as Kelly tore the wrapping paper a little at a time…waiting for her to join in.

Once he had the paper off…he showed her a baby doll with a soft pink body.

"Look, Maggie…a new baby…"

But she was more interested in the paper he had just torn off the dolly.

After a while, Kelly gave up and let the other kids "help"…

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Until Casey tapped Mills on the shoulder and the two men went out to the garage to get the last present.

And just like when Uncle Matt had brought in the little fire trucks he made for Andy and Jesse's first Christmas…everyone was absolutely speechless when he and Pete set Maggie's present down in front of her.

Uncle Matt had made the little girl a white wooden rocking horse…with a little, high backed seat instead of a saddle, and a mane created out of pink, white and lavender silk ribbons.

"Matt…" Alyssa whispered in awe. "This is gorgeous…"

Even Maggie seemed to agree…because she crawled over to her new horsie and tried to climb up.

Kelly picked her up and placed her in the seat…and fastened the little safety belt around her.

As he gently rocked the horsie back and forth…Maggie's giggles got louder and louder as she clapped her hands.

"I think you got a winner here, Casey…" Kelly said. "I'd say she likes it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13-The Monster Rears His Ugly Head**

The New Year was off to a flying start.

The twins were into basketball now…and Kelly was an assistant coach for their team down at the Y. Actually they had four assistant coaches…all from Station 51. Casey and Mills showed up for every practice and every game. And Vargas stood in for all three of them when second watch was on shift.

Maggie's first birthday was coming up in March…and Alyssa was planning the requisite huge party.

And the boys were making their First Holy Communion in the spring.

It was a good thing "Chicago Fire" was picked up for the full season. With two enormous parties coming up, Kelly needed all the "extra" time he could get.

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But when Kelly got off shift on Tuesday morning all he wanted was to get home…grab a bite…and go to bed.

Winter in Chicago was a firefighter's equivalent of tax season to an accountant, the end of a grading period for a teacher, Black Friday to a retailer.

Every shift…the bells went off again and again. And they had a fire every night he had worked for the last month and a half. Last night they had had two.

They were both apartment fires…both likely the result of improper or unsafe use of space heaters. The last one had been five kids, between the ages of ten and six months, left alone while the mom worked. They had rescued all the kids, thank God, but the family had lost absolutely everything they owned.

Maybe Alyssa could reach out through some of the organizations that worked with the thrift shop…and help these people.

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He parked his car in the drive and trudged to his back door. As he climbed the porch steps he could hear Maggie already.

The baby was "talking"…loudly.

So much for going to bed…

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He walked into his kitchen…and Maggie was sitting in her high chair, making a colossal mess. Cereal and peaches were painted all across the tray…Cheerios were all over the floor…and Alyssa looked like she was about to cry.

"What's goin' on?" he asked.

Alyssa looked up and saw him standing in the doorway. She jumped to her feet and flew across the room into his arms.

"What's goin' on?" he asked again…as he caught her.

She was trembling…and now Kelly was more than a little alarmed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her this upset.

But Alyssa just clung to him. It was Maggie shouting at the top of her lungs that brought her back to the present.

She took Kelly by the hand and led him to the table. As he sat down she reached for an envelope on the counter and handed it to him with trembling hands.

Kelly took it from her…envelopes and letters were usually not good things in this house…at least in his opinion. He turned it over in his hands. He didn't recognize the handwriting…but there was no mistaking the postmark…or the cryptic jumble of letters and numbers in the corner for the return address.

He'd seen this type of thing before…when Casey had showed him a letter his mother had written him…from prison.

The letter hadn't been opened yet…so Kelly reached into the drawer for a knife and carefully slid it under the flap and along the top fold.

He drew out a multi-page letter written on yellow legal paper, and began to read.

And his blood began to boil with rage.

It was from Bradley Paul.

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Bradley Paul was the deranged lunatic who had stalked Alyssa ten years ago. He was the one who got into her apartment building…kicked in her door…and nearly killed her. He had beaten her and kicked her…he shattered her jaw…broke multiple bones in her face…her ribs…her right arm.

Alyssa had fought like a tiger…and even after all that she still tried to get away. But the bastard had caught her and kicked her down three flights of stairs. Then he smashed her head against the tile floor in the vestibule of her apartment building.

She and Kelly had been dating for a couple months at that point…and Station 51 had responded to the 911 call. Shay and Dawson had saved her life…

And Casey had been the one to break the news to Severide.

He still remembered the ride to the hospital, and seeing Alyssa for a brief second before they ran her up to the OR for the first of four marathon surgeries.

The police had arrested him about a month after the attack and he'd been in jail ever since. He spent about two years at 26th and California…then after he was convicted of attempted murder, assault, breaking and entering…he was moved down to Statesville. He'd come up for parole about five years back. But Alyssa had gone before the parole board and his request was denied.

Now what did he want?

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As he read through the pages he felt the bile rising in the back of his throat.

Paul claimed to have found God…and he had repented for his sins. He wanted to be baptized into Jesus Christ…but before he did that, he wanted Alyssa's forgiveness.

He had written this long, rambling letter…quoting all kinds of Bible verses about forgiving… "If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent…"… "Happy are those whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned."… "Be merciful to me, O God, because of your constant love. Because of your great mercy wipe away my sins!"

It sounded like a sermon…it sounded like a load of bullshit.

Kelly crumpled the letter up and stalked over to the garbage. He spiked the wad of paper into the can and closed the lid.

"What did it say, Kelly?" Alyssa asked in a tiny voice.

Kelly looked over at his wife…her eyes wide with terror. He quickly closed the gap between them and took her into his arms again.

"He's just tryin' to mess with us, Babe. It's total bullshit."

"What was it?"

He took a deep breath…trying to control his fury.

Just when things were really good for them…when their life was on an even keel…this…monster…had to rear his ugly head.

"He's claiming he's a Christian now…and he wants you to forgive him for what he did so he can get baptized." He said. "Like I said…a total crock."

Technically…he didn't need Alyssa's forgiveness in order to get baptized. At least not according to what he got out of the Reconciliation meeting he and Alyssa had gone to. He had to confess his sins to a priest or a pastor with a sincere heart…and he would be forgiven. Kelly didn't believe in that personally. Whenever possible, you should apologize to the person you hurt…and if they couldn't forgive you, well…you had done your best.

But confessing your sins and being given penance didn't erase the sin…at least in his mind. Bradley Paul could spend the next fifty years on his knees saying Hail Mary's and it wouldn't erase what he had done to Alyssa.

"Just…don't worry about it, Lyssa. He's locked up where he can't hurt us anymore."

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But it didn't stop.

The next week there was another letter…and the week after that another. Then they started coming two or three times a week.

Kelly tore them up into tiny pieces. He burned them in the fireplace. Anything to erase them from the face of the earth.

But it was wearing thin. Alyssa wasn't sleeping. She had nightmares…and she'd wake up in a cold sweat. She couldn't eat. She tried to force herself…but the days the letters came, she couldn't keep anything down.

It was dangerous…someone Alyssa's size throwing up all the time. Alyssa rarely went over a hundred pounds…and she needed every single one of them. When Kelly held her, he could feel her getting smaller…and that scared the shit out of him.

Then the phone calls started.

The first one came while he was on shift…the operator had asked Alyssa if she'd accept a collect call from Bradley Paul. Alyssa had clicked the phone off and called Kelly in near hysterics. He had rushed right home…and found her in tears.

Thankfully Maggie was up in her crib taking a nap.

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Kelly had called Katrina McColm…the Assistant State's Attorney who had prosecuted Bradley Paul ten years ago. Unfortunately, he wasn't breaking any laws…so there was nothing to do but mark the letters return to sender and hang up the phone.

There was nothing she could do…but Kelly could.

So he jumped into his car and got on 355 South heading down to Joliet.

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He was waiting in the visitors' center when they led Bradley Paul in.

Paul hadn't changed one bit. He was gaunt…and he had that pasty prison pallor. His hair had streaks of grey, but it was combed back straight, forming a deep widow's peak over his forehead.

Kelly and Paul locked eyes as Paul pulled out the chair opposite him.

He waited till the guard stepped back.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked.

"Should I?"

"I'm Kelly Severide…Alyssa's husband."

Paul sneered…or maybe that was a smile. Either way, it was all Kelly could do to keep from wiping it off his face.

"Is Alyssa here?" he asked.

"Not a chance…" Kelly said evenly.

"Then why are you here?"

"You and I need to have a little 'come to Jesus meeting'." Kelly told him.

The irony of that statement wasn't lost on either of them.

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Paul kept right on with that cocky grin on his face…and Kelly was more certain than ever that his "religious conversion" was all for show. The six inch wooden cross he wore on a string around his neck was a mockery.

"You need to stop trying to contact my wife. Don't call, don't write…forget she even exists." Kelly told him.

"And what if I don't?" Paul said. "What're you gonna do about it?"

Kelly stared at this man…no, he wasn't a man. A _man _wouldn't hit a woman.

He shifted in his chair, so he was leaning forward on his elbows.

"Well…before I leave here…I'm gonna go down to the Warden's office and tell them you've been harassing my wife. And if they don't agree to censor your mail and cut off your phone privileges…I'm gonna go to my Alderman…the Mayor of Chicago…even the Governor if I have to. See unlike you…I'm a tax-paying citizen. Whatever I have to do to put pressure on the Warden and the Prison Board…I'm gonna do. And I won't stop till they throw your ass in a hole so deep you wouldn't know daylight if you saw it."

Paul scoffed.

"Go ahead and try…they got bigger fish to fry than me writing a couple letters to my ex-girlfriend."

Apparently Kelly was right on the money as far as Paul's new-found religious conversion.

"That may be…but in that case…I'll be standin' right outside that gate the day they let your miserable ass outta here. And when I'm done, you're gonna be gettin' all your meals through a tube…just like you did to Lyssa."

"Then we can just trade places…" Paul sneered at him.

"I doubt it." Kelly said. "I'll just say you threatened me and my family. Who do you think people are gonna believe? A firefighter…or a lousy con who beats up on women half his size?"

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It was dark when he got home.

The minute he came through the door Andy and Jesse came running.

"Dad…where'd you go?" Andy asked.

"Why were you gone so long?" Jesse wanted to know.

"I just had to go a see a guy…" Kelly told them. "I had some business to take care of."

Alyssa was standing in the kitchen door with Maggie balanced on one hip.

Kelly came to her…put his arm around her…and leaned down to kiss her.

"I took care of it, Lyssa." He said quietly. "He's not gonna bother us again."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14-Happy Birthday to You!**

Kelly and Alyssa lay in their bed listening to Maggie churble over the monitor. Their little girl was an early riser and she was content to sit in her crib and talk to her dollies and stuffed animals before she called someone to come and get her.

Kelly couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he remembered that old movie from when he was a kid…the one where Bruce Willis was the voice of the baby…what was the name of that again? "Look Who's Talking", that's it…

He pulled Alyssa closer to him. Today was Maggie's birthday. She was one year old. That weekend they we were having the huge monster blow-out bash that all their parties had turned in to. Kelly used to think that ten or twelve people was a crowd. Then he married an Italian. Now they had more than ten or twelve people whenever they invited Alyssa's two brothers…the ones who lived next door and across the street. When just their families got together they had fourteen…easy. And that was just for dinner on a weeknight.

All week long they'd been "practicing "for Maggie's birthday…just like they had done with Andy and Jesse. Every day they put a candle in a cupcake and sang Happy Birthday so Maggie could blow out the candle. At first she was a little confused…but now she was getting to be a pro. If only she could eat the cupcake without smashing it all over her face and in her hair.

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Then they heard something…something they had never heard before. Out of the baby monitor on Alyssa's bedside table…just as plain as day…

"Happy Birthday to you." They heard in Maggie's sweet little baby voice.

"What the…" Kelly started to say.

Then he heard it again.

"Happy Birthday to you."

He and Alyssa both sat up in bed.

"Did she really just say that?" he asked.

"I think she did…" Alyssa answered.

Maggie had been babbling for months now…she said Ma-ma, Da-da, Buh-buh…but never with any real consistency so Kelly and Alyssa were sure she knew what she was saying. Not like the twins, who said Da-da when they were looking right at him. There was no mistaking or misunderstanding…or wishful thinking there.

"Happy Birthday to you."

Kelly threw back the covers and got out of bed. He went down the hall and opened Maggie's door.

Maggie was sitting in her crib chattering away.

"Hey, Baby Girl…" Kelly said.

Maggie looked up at the sound of his voice and she smiled a big smile showing off her two new front teeth. Now she had four…

"Happy Birthday to you." She said again.

"Who's birthday is it, Baby Girl?" Kelly asked as he reached into the crib.

"Bee-Bee!" Maggie said as she clapped her hands.

Kelly laughed.

"That's right! Today's _your_ birthday!"

He picked Maggie up and held her over his head…and Maggie laughed and laughed.

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He brought the baby back to his and Alyssa's room.

"There's the birthday girl!" Alyssa said as she held out her arms.

Kelly handed Maggie over, then circled back around and got back under the covers.

He was curious to see what else this new verbal breakthrough entailed.

"Who's that?" he asked, pointing to Alyssa.

"Ma-ma!" Maggie said as she clapped her hands again.

She was good at applauding for herself. But then again…her daddy thought anything she did was brilliant.

"And what's my name?"

"Da-da!"

_Finally!_ If she only _knew_ how long he'd been waiting for that! To hear Maggie say Da-da and know she knew who that meant…rather than hearing her say it when she was talking to one of her toys or rocking on her horsie.

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On the day of the party the house was literally bursting at the seams…as usual. All of Alyssa's family was there, Kelly's dad and his Aunt Kathy…who had finally made peace, Kelly's two cousins and their families. Morgan was there…and the whole family from the firehouse was on hand to celebrate this momentous occasion.

Everyone filled plate after plate of Alyssa's home cooking. As usual, they had enough food to feed a small country, Kelly thought as he helped himself to another dish of pasta and a second beef sandwich.

Andy, Jesse, Connor, and Micah from down the block were kneeling at the coffee table in the living room shoveling in their pasta and their meatballs and sausage. Andy kept looking around the room at all the pink streamers and balloons that were taped to anything that would stand still.

They had never really bothered with a lot of decorations for the twins' parties…because the house was already decorated for Christmas. The most they ever did were balloon bouquets that Alyssa strategically placed amongst the trees and the knick-knacks. That and the occasional "Happy Birthday" banner.

Kelly couldn't help but notice the dark look on his son's face as he sank down onto the couch between Hermann and Casey.

"Andy…what's wrong, Buddy?" he asked.

Andy looked around the room in disgust.

"All this pink stuff. The house looks like it got sprayed with diarrhea medicine."

"Pepto Bismol." Jesse reminded him.

"Yeah…Pepto Bismol!" Andy agreed.

All the men stopped their conversation…not sure they had heard the little boy correctly.

Then they all burst out laughing. Casey had been mid-sip of his beer… and Otis had just put a fork full of pasta into his mouth. Both of them nearly choked to death as they fought to get control of themselves.

The boys looked at one another. What had they said that was so funny?

Hermann, Vargas and Cruz were nearly hysterical and Kelly's sides were killing him…he was laughing so hard.

He was trying not to spill his plate of food, but he, like everyone else had tears streaming down his face.

Finally the guys managed to pull it together and Kelly set his plate down on the coffee table so he could wipe his eyes.

"Oh, God…" Hermann gasped. "I think I just peed myself…"

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After cake and ice cream the entire family crowded into the living room to watch Maggie open her presents. And just like at Christmas, the little girl was more interested in the paper and bows Kelly took off the packages rather than what was inside them.

Princesses seemed to be the theme of the day. There were princess dolls for the bath tub, princess dolls with long hair to comb, princesses that came with their own tea-sets, and princesses that came with whole wardrobe changes. There were princess books and princess movies…and even a little tiara.

By now everyone was accustomed to Casey and a couple of the guys sneaking out to the garage when the pile started getting down low. This year there was even a pool going down at the firehouse betting on what elaborate toy Casey would build this time. Currently there was over two hundred and fifty dollars riding on a dollhouse. The next guess was a rocking chair in Maggie's size…and finally a doll cradle.

But no one was at all prepared for what he, Mills, Cruz and Vargas carried through the door.

The men set the present down on the floor…

It was a carriage. But not just any carriage. It was a pink princess carriage built on a tripod metal frame. There was a seat for Maggie to ride on while her daddy or her big brothers pushed her around. There was a little seat inside for her dollies…and a holder for her sippy cup.

And in the front was a cutout of a unicorn…painted white with a golden horn. Maggie could "drive" it with the pink and white reigns that were attached to the "harness".

For several moments, no one spoke. Everyone just stared in wonder at this beautiful one of a kind creation.

Until Princess Maggie squealed with laughter.

"Ho-sie!" she shouted as she clapped her chubby little hands together. "Ho-sie!"

Kelly scooped her up and deposited her into her carriage. Andy and Jesse jumped up to be the first to push once Kelly had fastened the safety belt and put the reigns in Maggie's hands. She giggled and squealed some more as her brothers began to navigate through the crowd and around the furniture.

Kelly just shook his head in amazement.

"I don't even know what to say…"

"You really outdid yourself, Lieutenant." Hermann said. "I don't know how you could top this."

There were murmurs of agreement all around.

"So how do we decide who won the pool?" Otis asked. "This wasn't something we even considered…"

"Yeah…" Cruz agreed. "How do we know who won?"

Everyone just pointed.

"Casey!" they all said in unison.

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Later that night after everyone had left, Kelly went around gathering plates and cups and plastic silverware into a trash bag.

Alyssa came out of the kitchen where she had just boxed up the leftover desserts.

Kelly could take them down to the firehouse…along with the rest of the leftovers.

Mills wouldn't have to cook at all.

"You can just leave it, Honey. I'll take care of it."

"No…I'm not leavin' you with this whole mess to clean up."

He knew her…she'd stay up all night putting the house back to rights.

"You've gotta be on shift tomorrow." She reminded him.

He tossed the last of the trash into the bag and tied it off.

"And you've gotta take care of three kids…" _he_ reminded _her_.

Lyssa crossed the room…and he dropped the bag at his feet. He opened his arms to her…and she stepped into his strong embrace.

He held her, and tangled his fingers in her long, brown curls.

"I think we created a monster today…" he said.

"I'm sure…" Alyssa agreed. "Now Maggie's gonna think she really _is_ a princess."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15-Down Firefighter**

Severide jumped down off the rig and quickly took in the whole scene.

It was an abandoned warehouse…a huge cavernous building. God only knew what…or who was inside.

He reported to Boden…to see what had been done…and what needed to done.

"Truck's already started to search." Boden told him. "Looks like a couple dozen squatters've taken up residence. Get in there and clear that building."

"On it…" Severide replied.

And he went to deploy his men.

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When he led his team into the building, he saw that this building had literally been abandoned. The metal shelves went from floor to ceiling, creating a maze of compartments that the squatters had turned into their very own little apartments.

All the equipment was still there…even the product…whatever the hell that was had been left behind.

It was like the rightful owners just vanished into the night…and now it was finder's keepers.

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They had to figure out a way to search this place…and get water on all the secondary fires that had sprung up all over.

The only way was to divide and conquer.

Severide took Mills with him and went left…Capp and Hadley went right.

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Casey and his men were moving up and down the rows, looking for any signs of life in the compartments.

He went up one side of an aisle, while Herman went up the other. The rest of the guys were moving along in similar fashion.

The smoke was so thick you could barely see two inches in front of your face. And Casey knew any minute Boden was gonna tell them to get their asses outta there. They had a lot of real estate to cover…and not a lot of time to do it.

Suddenly, they heard a high-pitched, shrill sound echoing through the building.

Everyone froze for a second…it was the sound no firefighter ever wanted to hear.

Another man's PASS alarm.

Someone was in trouble.

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Casey and Hermann both ran to the end of their row…and over one. They worked their way down…inch by inch.

"Casey!" Boden's voice came over the radio. "Who is it?"

"Don't know!" Casey hollered. "Can't see!"

"It's Mouch!" Otis's voice broke in. "Mouch is down!"

The team quickened its pace…as much as they were able in the zero-visibility conditions.

"Otis! Do you have him?" Casey yelled.

"Yeah! I need help here!"

"Keep talking! Call out!"

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After what felt like an eternity…they reached their fallen brother.

Casey grabbed Mouch under the shoulders…Cruz and Otis grabbed his legs.

With Hermann as a guide, they made their way out of the building.

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Shay and Dawson met them with the stretcher, and the two paramedics pulled off his mask and tore open his jacket.

"He's in full arrest!" Dawson said. "We gotta move!"

Everyone helped get the stretcher into the back of the ambo.

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Squad 3 emerged from the warehouse empty handed…and Mills broke free to help with Mouch.

He shrugged off his mask and his tank and jumped on board Ambulance 61 with Shay and Dawson. Otis got behind the wheel, slammed it in gear and floored the accelerator.

As they raced through the city streets, Dawson dropped at ET tube down Mouch's airway and connected the blue ambu bag. She began rhythmically forcing air into the down firefighter's lungs.

Mills was trying desperately to get a reading with the BP cuff.

"I got nothin' here!"

Shay had already cut through Mouch's shirt and exposed his bare chest. She slapped the electrodes on as fast as she could…

"He's in v-tach!" she said. "Mills…start compressions!"

Mills began pumping on Mouch's chest while Shay charged the defibrillator.

"Charging to 200! Clear!"

Mills and Dawson backed off…and Shay delivered the first jolt.

Nothing.

Mills and Dawson resumed CPR…

"Charging to 300!" Shay said. "Clear!"

She hit him again.

Still nothing.

"300 again! Clear!"

She shocked him one more time…and this time they got a blip on the monitor.

"Shay…get a line in! Give him an amp of Epi!" Dawson said.

Shay tried to start an IV…but in the back of a moving ambulance it was no easy feat.

No sooner had she put the needle in his vein…they lost the pulse again.

"Resuming compressions!" Mills said as he began pumping on Mouch's chest again.

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Otis pulled to a screeching halt in the ambulance bay at Lakeshore. He slammed it in park and jumped out to open the door.

The four barreled through the ER door.

"What've we got?" the doctor asked.

"Fifty nine year old male…full arrest! We intubated and shocked him three times!" Dawson said. "We got an anticubital line…but we lost the pulse before we could get anything in!"

"Trauma One!" the doctor shouted. "I need an EKG, Chest X-ray, Cardiac markers, a CBC, and a Chem panel! And get Cardiology on the horn! We're gonna need the cath lab…and clear an OR as well!"

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Back at the scene the firefighters still had to take care of business…even though everyone was thinking about Mouch.

The cavernous building was engulfed in flames…and a section of the roof had collapsed.

Four engine companies and three trucks were pouring water onto the fire…but everything…the building and all its contents was a total loss.

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Once the flames were struck out…and the clean-up done, the team returned to the station.

The men trooped into the locker room to shower and change, and Chief came in with an update.

"He's in the cath lab…they're doing an emergency thrombectomy right now. That's all I know."

They were trying to remove a massive blood clot from one of the coronary arteries…theoretically that would restore the blood flow…and hopefully too much damage hadn't already been done.

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After he'd changed his clothes, Kelly called Alyssa to tell her what had happened.

More than anything…he needed to hear her voice.

Alyssa was always good in a crisis. He'd never seen her freak out…whenever something happened to him or to one of the kids, she was always calm…talking to him in a soft, soothing voice…calming his fears, relaxing him. It was almost hypnotic.

And he needed that right now.

"Hey…" he said wearily as she picked up the phone.

"Kelly, are you okay?" she asked. "You don't sound right."

She knew him so well.

"Mouch had a heart attack." He told her. "At a fire…he just went down. I didn't see it, but…"

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"I don't know. They got him to the hospital…Boden said they were doin' a procedure to remove the clot…" he said. "Everybody's gonna go down there as soon as we can. I won't be comin' straight home."

"Whatever you need to do, Kelly." She said. "Do you want me to go down there?"

Actually, yeah…he would. But Maggie was just getting over a little cold.

"No…I mean, yeah, I want you to be with me…" he said. "But Maggie needs you…"

"Okay…keep me posted, Honey. And if there's something you need, just call me."

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The team as a whole agreed…they had spent too damn much time in hospitals. When something happened to one of the family…everyone kept vigil.

When Hermann had been injured…long time ago…and when Alyssa had been attacked…after the fire at Severide's house. It was good that they could all be there to support one another, but if none of them ever set foot in a waiting room again, it would be too soon.

Mouch had pulled through the procedure…barely. The doctor had managed to remove a massive clot from one of the arteries in his heart, and put a couple of stents in, but there were four other areas almost completely obstructed with plaque. He'd need quadruple bypass surgery as soon as his body healed from this assault.

His heart muscle was badly damaged, from the heart attack, but also from the extent of the disease they'd found. They had to put in something called a balloon pump to keep his blood pressure up. And he was on a ventilator up in ICU.

It was a lot to take in. But the bottom line was, Mouch was finished at Station 51. He was going to have to retire. Period.

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It was late afternoon when Kelly finally walked in his door.

He was completely and totally exhausted. He felt like he'd just gone about seven rounds with the heavyweight champion of the world.

Alyssa came out of the laundry room when she heard the door. She immediately crossed the kitchen and walked into her husband's open arms.

And Kelly held onto her for dear life.

"Tell me…" she said.

He took a deep breath…and let it out slowly.

"It's still touch and go." He said with a sigh. "They said the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours would be critical."

"Baby…" Alyssa whispered as she reached her hand up to his face.

"It's gonna be so weird…not havin' him around the firehouse." Kelly said, his voice choked with emotion. "I mean…from the day I started…when I was just a Candidate…his ass's been planted in that damn couch…"

"He's done a lot for us, Kelly. Helping us get the mortgage for this house…finding Dr. Paxton…all he did to help find somebody for Declan…"

Kelly nodded…and he pulled Alyssa closer…and held her even tighter.

Mouch had helped him out of a jam with the union once…back when a paramedic candidate had tried to accuse him of sexual harassment. Later he found out she had a habit of doing that.

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Things were definitely changing. Guys he'd gone to the Academy with…guys he'd come up with were retiring…moving into different positions…or moving onto different phases in their lives.

Eric Whaley was on LTD…and so was Vargas.

And Darden had been gone ten years now…

But Kelly kept on going.

He'd thought about hanging it up a few times…especially after some of the injuries he'd had. But Alyssa had said it to him over and over again. If he quit before he absolutely had to, he'd never be happy. He'd always feel like he had unfinished business.

And in his heart of hearts, Kelly knew she was right. He was born to be a firefighter…born to be on Squad. That's just who he was…and he couldn't change it even if he wanted to.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16-Family Ties That Bind**

Kelly came home after shift to find Alyssa already whipping up the beginnings of a feast.

"Did I miss something?" he asked. "Is it somebody's birthday?"

Alyssa looked up at him, then wiped the perspiration off her forehead with the towel in her hand. Then she crossed the kitchen and threw it through the laundry room door.

"Joey called last night. He says he needs to talk to us…all of us."

'All of us' meant the whole family…Alyssa and Kelly, her brother Tony and his wife Sherrie, Nicky and Kathy, Jimmy, and her brother Mark and his girlfriend Gina.

"What about your folks?" Kelly asked warily.

He generally liked to have a little more advanced notice before his mother-in-law invaded.

Alyssa shook her head.

"No…Joey said he needs to talk to us first."

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Lyssa and her brothers were all real close…and even more so in the past few years. Ever since Jimmy had ended his seventeen year marriage the siblings and their significant others had gotten together at least once or twice a month. And any time there was a major crisis or a decision need to be made they usually sat down to discuss it as a family.

This was all new to Kelly…having been an only child…and something of a lone wolf most of his adult life. He counted the men and women at the firehouse as his family…and whenever they needed him, he was right there to help. But he had a harder time _asking_ for help…at least before he had met Alyssa. Even now…he still didn't do a whole lot of asking. Everybody just kind of showed up.

So being part of this big crazy family that did a lot of things by committee was a bit of an adventure.

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But Nadine and Tony Sr. were rarely part of these gatherings.

Nadine Boungiovanni, for some reason had this unexplainable and uncontrollable urge to try and run her children's' lives like they were still toddlers. It didn't matter that the oldest, Tony Jr., was fifty-five…and her "baby" was nearly forty.

One thing with Nadine…and Kelly didn't understand it at all (not that he understood much of anything when it came to his mother-in-law)…was that she thought she had the right to choose her kids' spouses. Out of her six children, the only one she had "approved of" was Roxanne, Jimmy's ex. Nadine was completely enamored with the girl's wealthy family and social standing. She considered it a real coup that one of _her_ kids had been able to escape the blue-collar background they had been raised in.

Nobody else, however, saw anything wrong with blue-collars. Alyssa and her brothers couldn't _stand _Roxanne or the way she and her family looked down on them…like they weren't good enough to be in the same room. But for some inexplicable reason, that didn't bother Nadine. She always said you couldn't expect _'classy'_ people to associate with _us_…

That was total bullshit as far as Kelly was concerned. People were people…and everybody put their pants on one leg at a time. He dealt everyday with people who thought they had something over everyone else. He ran into it on the job…those 'classy' people who wouldn't give him the time of day and took two or three steps back when he walked in in his boots and leather jacket…until he showed up to put out a fire in their million dollar apartment or pull them out of a crumpled wreck of a Mercedes Benz.

When stuff like that happened, he just rolled his eyes and walked away. But anyone…and he didn't care who they were…anyone who dared to talk down to his wife and kids was in for the fight of their life. And if that made him low-class…oh, well.

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Nadine had something against every one of her daughters-in-law. Tony Jr. had been married to his wife Sherrie for close to thirty years…and Nadine couldn't stand the woman. Oh, sure…she always gave a thin little smile…and usually a backhanded compliment. But whenever Sherrie was out of earshot, she hissed and spit venomous insults like a poisonous snake.

Sherrie had a couple major strikes against her as far as Nadine was concerned. First of all, she was Polish…not Italian. But worse than that, Sherrie was the first one in her family who was born in this country. Her grandparents had never learned a word of English…and her parents still were more comfortable conversing in their native language. The entire family spoke Polish, and Sherrie always acted as an interpreter.

Whenever the families got together, she always translated everything for her mother and her grandma, when she was alive. That drove Nadine _nuts_. She was_ sure_ they were talking about her and making fun of her and nothing anyone said could convince her otherwise.

She just didn't _trust _them…

Kelly thought that was one of the most ridiculous things he'd ever heard in his life. Like nobody had _anything_ better to talk about that Nadine…

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But the "Monster-in-Law" didn't stop there.

Mark had had two "wives" and they were one worse than the other…at least in Nadine's eyes.

Mark was probably the most reserved of all the Boungiovanni's…except for Tony Sr.. Mark didn't say much…but when he did, he was usually right on the money. He was the tallest of the brothers, and he was wiry…but deceptively strong. He was probably the best athlete in the family…and he was definitely the best musician. He played four different instruments…and all he had to do was hear a melody once and he could reproduce it anytime, anywhere.

But when he was young he was pretty wild…at least according to Alyssa. When he was in his early twenties, he'd knocked up his eighteen year old girlfriend. Of course, Nadine hadn't liked the girl to begin with…and of course it was all Krysta's fault…the little tramp! In _her_ day, _nice_ girls from _good_ families didn't sleep with boys.

Alyssa had been about twelve or thirteen at the time, and she genuinely liked her . Krysta had been the one to take Alyssa shopping for a dress for her first junior high dance…she had taught her how to spray her bangs so they stood straight up…and she was the one who painted Alyssa's fingernails for the first time. So when Alyssa asked why Nadine was blaming Krysta…instead of Mark...he was the one who didn't wear the condom, after all, Nadine pretended not to hear her.

Bowing to the pressure from both their families, Mark and Krysta got married about a month before their son Donnie was born. They didn't do a big wedding…just went down to city hall…and Krysta's mom had had the Boungiovanni's over for a luncheon and cake.

That was another thing…Krysta was raised by a single mom. She didn't have a _father_…Nadine hissed. Of course, Alyssa pointed out that she _did_ have a father…but he had been killed by a drunk driver when Krysta was three.

Again, Nadine pretended not to hear her.

Unfortunately, like a lot of teen-age marriages this one imploded after a couple years. Mark wasn't ready for a wife and kid. He was only twenty-two…and he liked to go out with his buddies and have a few (or more than a few) beers, shoot a couple games of pool…go bowling once in a while. He wasn't making real good money…and his partying often cut into the household expenses. Left alone with a baby…in a dingy one-bedroom apartment in a really crappy neighborhood…with not enough diapers and not enough to eat…not even money to order a pizza and rent a movie. Not even basic cable. Krysta got resentful…and finally she had had enough. Why should Mark be the one having all the fun? So when Donnie was about two…she left him with her mom and went out clubbing with her girlfriends.

Oh…once Nadine sunk her teeth into that one!

What kind of mother…abandoned her baby…to go out on the town?!

Alyssa pointed out that Mark wasn't blameless in all this…and Nadine essentially went deaf.

Too bad she didn't go mute… that's what Kelly had said when Alyssa had told him the story.

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Mark and Krysta divorced…and she and Donnie moved back to her mother's. Mark eventually grew up and got his head screwed on right…and when Donnie was about ten he moved in with him full time.

Mark dated here and there…and when Donnie was around twelve he met a woman named Regina. Regina had three daughters…and after about six months both families moved into a three bedroom apartment.

Now Nadine had a new enemy. Regina…Gina, as everyone called her, was a tramp…she was looking for a meal ticket…_and_ she was part _Hispanic_!

Mark really wanted to marry Gina…and he'd asked her more than once to be his wife. But she always said no. Her reason was so sad…but Alyssa understood completely…and she admired Gina for standing up for her girls the way she did.

Gina didn't want to get married because Nadine wouldn't accept her girls as grandchildren. In the fourteen years she and Mark had been together, Nadine had never once given any of the girls so much as a birthday card. She refused to come to Communions, Confirmations, and graduations…despite being invited. She never acknowledged the girls at Christmas...nothing. Gina didn't care that Nadine didn't like her, but no one was going to treat her daughters like second-class citizens.

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And then there was Kathy…Nicky's wife. Nicky and Kathy had been together since they were about sixteen. From the first day they met…there had been an instant attraction and they'd never looked back.

Kathy came from a big, close-knit Irish family. She was one of nine kids…and her father, Patrick, was a firefighter. He'd retired about ten years ago as a Battalion chief.

Paddy was your stereo-typical, jovial, Irishman. He liked his beer…and he loved to tell stories. He and Nicky had developed a bond right away.

Paddy was the polar opposite of Nicky's dad, Tony Sr.. Tony Sr. was a worker…his father was a worker…_his_ father was a worker…and that was all he was ever gonna be. Tony had worked in the same tool and die shop at the same manufacturing plant since he was nineteen. He took two years off to serve in the Army back in 1965…but he came home, married Nadine in '67, went back to the shop…and Tony Jr. was born in '68.

He was the type to keep his head down and his mouth shut. He never offered an opinion on anything. Not politics, not the economy, not the family…Kelly had never even so much as heard him make a prediction about the Bears game.

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So as Nicky and Kathy grew closer and he started spending more and more time at the O'Brien house, Nadine got angrier and angrier.

This time, not only did she not care for the girl…she vehemently disliked the father. In her mind Paddy O'Brien was trying to take over as Nicky's dad. They were always going bowling…to ball games…fishing…whatever. She viewed that as a slap in the face to her husband…who didn't seem to have an opinion one way or the other in the matter.

But Paddy did take Tony Sr.'s place in a way. He talked to Nicky…man to man. He was really the one who taught Nicky to be a man. He taught him how to treat a woman, how to be a father, how to be a husband. And Nicky idolized the man. He wanted nothing more than to emulate him.

Probably the saddest day of Nicky's life was the day he found out he'd failed the test to get into the Fire Academy. Paddy was devastated too…but he hid his emotions as he sat with Nicky all night long while he drowned his sorrows in a bottle of whiskey…or two. He cleaned him up after he got sick as a dog…and nursed him through the hangover the next day.

Then they made a new plan.

So Nicky took the exam at the Police Academy…and he passed with flying colors.

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Joey was the only brother who wasn't married. Not that he didn't want to be…and not that Nadine didn't try to set him up with every unmarried daughter of everyone she ever met.

Joey and Kelly shared a similar past. Joey had dated the sister of a good buddy of his…someone he met in the automotive repair classes he took after he realized junior college wasn't for him. He fell head over heels for Vanessa…and they got engaged. But the wedding plans came to a screeching halt when he found out Vanessa was cheating on him.

That was all the burn he needed, thank you very much. Not that he didn't like women…he did. And Joey was probably the best looking of all the Bongiovanni brothers. He had the stereo-typical Italian features…the thick wavy black hair that he gelled up and combed back. The deep, soulful brown eyes, the strong chin and manly features. Even at forty two…he still looked like John Travolta from the 'Saturday Night Fever' days…just better dressed.

More than one woman he'd dated had wanted to marry him. But he could never truly give his heart…he had to protect himself from ever feeling what he'd felt when Vanessa dumped him.

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That brought them to Alyssa…the only girl…her father's favorite…although you'd never know it. She was her mother's pride and joy…and the one that five big brothers guarded like a precious jewel.

Nadine had treated Lyssa like a living doll…dressing her in ruffly dresses…curling her hair. She also used her to fulfill any childhood dreams she may have had. So from the time she was three, Alyssa had gone to dance classes…when she got older she had singing lessons. Of course, Nadine had pitched a fit to end all fits when she caught Lyssa in her brother's room listening to BonJovi and Poison.

She had also been planning Alyssa's wedding to Jonny DiNardo, the boy two doors down and the only son of her dear,_ dear _friend Barbara, since Lyssa was still in diapers. When the children became best friends…soul mates, according to Nadine…she thought her prayers had been answered.

But she had no idea Jonny was gay…until Kelly blurted it out in a moment of anger and frustration.

Kelly had to be her least favorite of all the 'in-laws'. In fact, he joked…he was the original 'out-law'. Kelly was not what Nadine wanted for her daughter. But she couldn't say why…he's just _wrong_ for you…that was all she ever said when Alyssa asked her what she had against him.

He wasn't Jonny DiNardo…_that's_ what she had against him.

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So that night…after a lasagna dinner…Jimmy's daughters Samantha and Nicole took Maggie upstairs to give her a bath and put her to bed. The boys all went downstairs to the basement…having been granted a special dispensation to enter the "man cave".

"All right…" Tony said to his youngest brother. "You've got us all here…what's so important we had to do dinner on a Wednesday night?"

Joey took his napkin off his lap…wiped his mouth…and laid it on the table beside his empty plate.

He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

"I'm getting married." He said.

Everyone around the table was stunned into silence. Nobody even knew Joey was dating anyone…let alone in a serious relationship.

"Her name's Emma Lynn…" Joey went on. "She lives in St. Paul…and I met her over the internet. She's an Occupational Therapist…and she's got three kids. Two girls and a boy."

"How long have you known her?" Alyssa asked.

"About nine months…we've been talking on the phone most of that time…and about six months ago, I started going up there a couple times a month."

"And you never even mentioned it before…" Nicky said.

"I wanted to make sure it was the real thing. But last weekend I was up there…we took the kids to Hidden Falls for a picnic…and I asked Emma Lynn to marry me." Joey told them. "We're trying to decide if she's gonna move here…or I'm gonna go there."

The siblings all looked at one another. No one could imagine breaking up the family.

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"So what do you need from us?" Sherrie asked.

"I want you guys to meet her and the kids…" Joey said "Savannah's the same age as Garrett…Dylan's about a year and a half older than Andy and Jesse…and the baby, Ainsley…she's not quite a year older than Maggie."

"We'd love to meet them." Alyssa said.

The others nodded in agreement.

"I think we should do something we've been talkin' about for a while now." Kelly suggested. "We've been talkin' for years about taking a vacation together. We should do it…go up to Door County or something…spend a week fishin' and swimming…and just hangin' out."

"That's a great idea." Jimmy said.

"I agree…" Tony said.

"It'll give us all a chance to bond…" Gina added.

"Before we have to introduce her to Mom and Dad." Mark finished.

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Joey looked down…

"I've been totally dreading telling them. Mom's gonna blow a gasket…" he grumbled. "I'm afraid once Mom gets her claws out…Emma Lynn might just turn around and head right back to Minnesota."

Alyssa laid her hand on Joey's arm.

"Joey…you love her…and I'm sure we all will too. Hopefully, once she realizes she'll have a family here…Emma Lynn will feel strong enough to deal with Mom."

"We all did…" Kelly added.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17-Northern Lights, Northern Nights**

They threw that vacation together in a little under a month.

After Joey's jaw dropping announcement…Emma Lynn got four emails over the next few days…one from each of her perspective sisters-in-law. They introduced themselves and their families…and invited her and her kids to join them in Door County for a week-long vacation.

And Joey got four separate phone calls from his fiancée…every time an email arrived.

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So it was decided…and they miraculously got two cabins next to one another…a different family's reunion got cancelled. So the Severide and Boungiovanni families got a sweetheart of a deal because the owner didn't want two houses empty during the prime season.

Alyssa spent a week before hand cooking up a storm…putting up an extra large batch of meat sauce, marinara sauce, a gallon of her homemade BBQ sauce, homemade salad dressings and marinades, and all the cookies, breads, brownies etc that they'd need to tie them over for a week.

When Kelly went to the deep freezer to see if he could find any ice cream for the kids and saw the stash…

"Why don't I just rent a U-Haul and pull the freezer behind the car? It'll prob'ly be cheaper than buying all the coolers and cold packs we're gonna need to pack this stuff!" he said to Alyssa as he came back upstairs without any ice-cream.

"Da-da? Ice-cweem?" Maggie said…her little lip starting to turn out.

"Now…see that?" Kelly said, pointing.

"I don't know why you didn't bring the ice-cream up…" Alyssa said. "There's a brand new gallon of Neapolitan in there."

"You've got that thing packed to the top! It's like a Tetris game the way you've got it all arranged!" he told her. "I wasn't about to go messing that up!"

He turned to his daughter…who was hanging on the leg of his jeans.

"C'mon Baby Girl…let's go find your brothers…Daddy's gonna take you to Oberweiss."

Maggie clapped her little hands. And in letting go, she plopped down on her little butt.

"Bo-bo-weiss!" she cried happily.

Kelly laughed.

"Oberweiss…" he said with a smile as he scooped her into his arms.

He headed out in search of the boys.

"I know…I know…" he said over his shoulder. "Bring you some Chocolate Chip."

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Finally the day arrived. Alyssa had been up all night washing and packing and getting all the last minute details together.

The siblings had partially filled their parents in on their plans…just to let them know that none of them would be available. Nadine was immediately suspicious…why did they all need to go away at the same time? Why were they all going together? What were they planning…and why wasn't she consulted? Why were she and their father not included?

There was a lot of eye rolling…a few heavy sighs…and Tony Jr. and Mark both told their mother that listening to her bad-mouth their wives wasn't their idea of a vacation.

Of course, Nadine was offended. She had never been so insulted in all her life…_she_ didn't raise her children to disrespect their mother…it had to be because they were so _brainwashed_ and poisoned against her by those _other people_…

Those _other people_ we're married to, Ma…Tony Jr. asked.

He was done with her and her narrow-minded bigotry.

When Kelly had heard that at a "pre-vacation planning dinner" the week before departure…he actually got up to shake his brother-in-law's hand.

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Kelly hadn't been kidding about renting a U-Haul…their car was loaded to bursting point with all the suitcases, the food, and everything they needed to keep three kids entertained on a four hour drive. Nicky and Kathy had the same thing in their car…and so did Jimmy…because Kelly had had to pack a few coolers in with their stuff too.

"Now…before we get on the road…everybody go to the bathroom…make sure you've got everything…" Lyssa cautioned.

"And I'm gonna tell you boys now…" Kelly added. "No asking 'are we there yet'…otherwise I'm gonna tie you to the bumper!"

"We won't Daddy…" Jesse promised.

"We know better…" Andy added with a deceptively sweet smile.

If Kelly hadn't been so busy checking the luggage carrier on the top of the car…he might have wondered what his firstborn had meant by that cryptic comment.

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They were making good time…Andy and Jesse were seemingly engrossed with movies and games on the tablets…and headphones were the single greatest invention a parent could ask for.

Maggie slept most of the way…and Kelly and Alyssa had the satellite radio tuned into a classic rock station and they were able to actually enjoy the ride.

Their caravan of four cars traveled north…and about an hour or so outside Door County, Kelly learned what Andy and Jesse had been doing when they "volunteered" to watch their sister so Mommy and Daddy could get ready for the trip.

Maggie opened her eyes…and looked around.

"Look who woke up!" Kelly said with a smile as he looked in the rearview mirror. "Did you sleep good, Baby Girl?"

Andy and Jesse gave each other a wicked grin. They couldn't wait to see what Daddy was going to do when…

"Da-da?"

"What, Baby Girl?"

"D'ere yet?"

The twins burst out laughing as Kelly's eyes snapped up to the mirror.

There was Maggie…smiling…obviously pleased with herself…and her big brothers laughing so hard they were red in the face…

Alyssa was trying not to giggle…

"I think they got you , Honey…" she said as she tried to control herself.

Even Kelly had to chuckle…

"All right…all right…very funny, guys. You got me…"

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By the time they arrived at the cabins, Andy and Jesse had seen the error in their carefully crafted joke.

Maggie liked the great reaction everybody had had to her sweet, innocent question…so she kept repeating it for the last hour of the drive.

Kelly put the car in park and the twins tumbled out of the back seat to get away from their sister.

"Not so funny now…huh, guys?" Kelly asked as he got out to start unloading.

Andy and Jesse looked completely dejected.

It had seemed like a really good idea yesterday…

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The cabins were both able to sleep up to twenty people…plenty of room for everyone.

Kelly and Alyssa, Nicky and Kathy, and Joey and Emma Lynn would take one with the nine kids they had between them…and Tony and Sherrie, Mark and Gina, and Jimmy would take the other.

Tony and Sherrie had two kids. Robert, who was twenty-six, and engaged to Carly, had come along…as had Michelle, who was twenty-four, and came with Chris, her boyfriend.

Two of Gina's daughters had come…Shayla was twenty-three…and she had a five month old daughter named Jenessa…and Loralei, who was nineteen.

The only ones missing from this family gathering were Mark's son Donnie…who was married to Peggy and the two of them lived in Kansas City with their newborn son Alex…and Brittany, Gina's middle daughter who went to school in Iowa and had stayed for the summer to take classes.

Joey and Emma Lynn and the kids were the last to arrive…obviously coming the greatest distance. Joey had flown up to St. Paul so they could drive down together. Emma Lynn was really nervous…she was anxious for this week to go well. She had been on her own for so long…she was really ready to settle down with Joey. She knew his family was important to him. He had described each person to her in such detail, she felt like she knew them already…and the emails she had started exchanging with Alyssa, Kathy, Sherrie and Gina had only solidified that feeling.

But actually meeting was a whole 'nother conversation…

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Ten years ago she never would have thought her life would turn out this way. She was happily married to her high school sweetheart Ryan. He had enlisted in the Army right after graduation, wanting to follow in the footsteps of his dad, his grandpa, and his great-grandfather. The men in his family had fought in every war since World War I and now it was his turn.

He finished boot camp…and when he was home on furlough he had proposed to Emma Lynn…but their wedding plans were delayed by an eighteen month deployment to Afghanistan. They finally married in '05…and she went with him to live in South Carolina. They settled into life on post…and Ryan deployed again…this time to Iraq. Emma Lynn took classes at the local college and worked part time as a hostess at a trendy little restaurant in the next town over. She made a few friends…but mostly she counted the days till her husband would return.

After he came home, they wasted no time trying to start a family…but Emma Lynn's first pregnancy was fraught with complications, and she lost the baby in her second trimester. She and Ryan had held their son Travis and cried together for the hour he lived…and then they cried for a long time after.

They barely had time to grieve their loss when Ryan had to leave again. This deployment was the hardest of all…and Emma Lynn felt like she was just going through the motions. School, work…the days all ran together…and even though this tour was cut short at nine months when Ryan was wounded…it seemed like the longest of all.

Ryan had been on the periphery of a mortar attack…and he took a lot of shrapnel…mostly to his right leg and hip. He underwent three operations at an Army Hospital in Germany before he was finally shipped home. It was rough going…he was angry at having been wounded…and he wanted to get back over there and get a little payback. He felt guilty that he had survived and three of his best buddies were killed. All he talked about was going back and finishing the job.

It didn't make sense to Emma Lynn…all the talk about going back when Ryan couldn't…wouldn't do anything for himself. She withdrew from school and quit her job to care for her husband twenty-four/seven. And it wasn't easy.

But eventually they turned the corner. Ryan was slowly able to do more and more in his rehab, and he wasn't so angry and bitter. And not long after he was finally able to walk across a room without his crutches…Emma Lynn found out she was pregnant again.

They were both nervous wrecks until the day Savannah Noelle came into the world. She was beautiful…and perfect in every way.

Ryan continued with his rehab…and when Savannah was about a year old he was able to start training with his unit again. Their lives were damn near perfect.

When Savannah was two they found out they were expecting another baby…but four months into the pregnancy they got word that Ryan would have to deploy again.

This time he was gone three months. Three months to the day after she had said good-bye to her husband at the air field a trio of officers and the base chaplain had knocked at her door.

She didn't remember much about the next few months…not even giving birth to Dylan Ryan. When he was four months old she had to leave the post…and she moved back to her hometown of St. Paul. She moved back with her parents, and when Dylan was eighteen months old she went back to school. She became an Occupational Therapist and got a job in the University of Minnesota Medical Center. Slowly but surely she began to build a life for herself and her babies.

Then five years ago she met someone. A PT assistant named DeJuan. He was handsome, funny, and he was so intelligent. He was a voracious reader…and he and Emma Lynn could talk for hours about books and authors and compare their favorites. They scheduled their breaks together and for six months they sat together everyday discussing bestsellers, history, and mysteries…whatever they were reading. DeJuan read in spurts. If he found a topic or and author he liked…he went on a tear…reading everything by that author or on that subject.

Eventually their relationship grew beyond books…and they began to see each other outside of work. DeJuan moved in with her and the kids after almost a year…and they were happy…for a while.

DeJuan loved to read…and he loved his job where he could leave it at the end of the day and not think about anything other than his current book. He would be content to do that for the rest of his life.

Shortly after he moved in, Emma Lynn became pregnant. She was thrilled…but she was also worried. They made adequate money…but they were going to need a bigger apartment…a bigger car…and daycare for an infant was expensive. She was the major bread winner…and she needed to work to provide insurance for her children.

So she talked to DeJuan about either going back to school and finishing his PT courses…or taking a second job…and he didn't want to. Then she found out some things she hadn't known before. DeJuan had four other children…by four other women…and he never saw any of them. He didn't support them, he didn't provide anything for them…except the seed that started it all.

The relationship ended shortly after that…he moved out…and whenever Emma Lynn saw him at the hospital, he'd turn around and walk the other way…like he didn't even know her.

She delivered her daughter, Ainsley…a beautiful little girl with big brown eyes, a full head of soft black hair…and skin the color of café au lait.

She threw herself into raising her kids…but she was starved for adult companionship. So late at night…the only time she had a minute to herself…she curiously clicked on an internet dating site.

Six months later, she received a "flirt" from a Joe Boungiovanni in Chicago.

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Now here she was…engaged to Joey…who adored her three kids and wanted to be a father to them…and treated her like a queen. Now she was standing outside a rented cabin in Wisconsin…about to meet Joey's family…his brothers, his sister, his nieces and nephews…

"C'mon, Babe…" Joey said as he help out his hand. "They're all gonna love you."

Right from the start, everything fell into place. Emma Lynn, Alyssa and Kathy were giggling and gossiping like school girls by dinner the first night…and Nicole and Samantha switched cabins to share a room with Savannah. Garrett moved as well in order to room with Declan and Aiden…and Dylan made it a foursome.

Of course the twins and Connor were bunking together…so the second cabin was full to capacity.

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Kelly, Nicky, Joey and Jimmy made a run into town to stock the two kitchens…and the store clerks were working overtime to ring out and bag ten carts of groceries. Two cars almost wasn't enough to haul it all back.

When they pulled onto the gravel drive, Kelly laid on the horn to summon ten kids and he put 'em to work unloading the cars. And by the time they got the food into the houses and sorted out what was going where it was time to start cooking.

Tony and Kelly carried the grill from the first cabin over to the deck of the second…and fired them up. Dinner was simple…burgers, dogs and brats…Sherrie's homemade potato salad, Kathy's coleslaw…and sweet corn Mark and Gina had purchased at a roadside stand on the way up roasted in the fire pit that was set between the two cabins.

After they had all stuffed themselves…the little kids begged to make S'mores…and Joey, Nicky and Mark brought out the guitars. Alyssa and all her brothers could sing…and the music went on late into the night.

And Kelly sat…sipping on another beer…holding Maggie asleep in his lap…thinking that this was the best vacation he could ever remember.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18-Vacation**

He was right…this was the best vacation they'd ever had…even better than Disney World. The twins might not agree…but on the water…on the boat…swimming, water skiing…that was all Kelly needed.

It helped that they had the whole extended family around. He, Joey and Mark especially, pushed each other to the limits. Everything turned into a contest…who could catch the biggest fish…who could swim out to the buoy fastest…who could stay up on the skis the longest? They bet on everything…they dared each other…and the girls rolled their eyes…and wrung their hands in anxious anticipation.

At night they came together for a meal…prepared largely under the direction of Alyssa…then they spent the evening on the porch or by the fire pit until the bugs were too much to stand. Then they went back into the cabins…waded through the sea of children who had turned the great room into a giant slumber party…and the guys sat down to play poker and talk smack till they couldn't keep their eyes open.

And then Kelly climbed the stairs and crawled into bed…and he pulled Alyssa close. She stirred in his arms and turned into him. To feel her, soft and warm against his skin…to caress every bit of her…if he could stop time right there…that's exactly what he'd do.

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They continued to play hard…

The "rule" in water skiing was you skied till you went down…and Kelly could go all day long. It took Mark and Joey about twenty minutes to figure that out…and it was on.

They whipped him around the corners and took it flat out on the straight-aways…

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The family came back in…tired, hungry, sunburned, windblown…laughing, joking.

They started up the trail to the cabins…and about half way up, Kelly stumbled a little bit.

"Aahhh!"

Alyssa was by his side in a second…and he reached for her arm to steady himself.

"What is it, Baby?" she asked. "What happened?"

"My knee…it…just went out on me…"

Lyssa glanced around her. The family had stopped and crowded around…waiting to see what they could do to help.

"Samantha…" she said to her niece. "Take the baby…will you?"

She handed Maggie over to Samantha. Then she distributed the beach bags to the boys…and she put her arms around Kelly. And he draped his arm around her shoulder and leaned on her.

He shifted his weight gingerly…his knee felt weird…like it wasn't entirely solid…like maybe it could go again…

"It's okay…" Lyssa whispered to him. "I've got you…you're okay."

He knew that…he knew she'd take care of him…but he needed to hear it.

"Easy…easy…" he cautioned.

They took a couple of steps…and stopped.

"You guys okay?" Joey asked.

It was a real mismatch…at least physically. Kelly had at least a foot on Alyssa…and probably about eighty pounds.

It was no wonder her brothers worried.

"We're good…" Alyssa told him. "We got this."

They'd done this dance before. It just took a few steps to find the rhythm.

Joey searched his sister's eyes…then he nodded…and continued up the path.

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She helped him up to the porch…and he slowly lowered himself into a chair.

Alyssa started to go inside to get an ice pack…but he caught her by the hand.

He couldn't let go.

So Kathy brought the ice out…and Lyssa helped Kelly to prop his leg on the ottoman in front of him…and gently slid a cushion under it.

He sucked in his breath as she carefully set the ice across his knee.

"It's okay" she told him. "Try and relax."

She took his hand in hers…and with the other she started to rub his shoulder.

He was more scared than he was hurt…he knew that.

His knee had been giving him problems off and on for a few months. It was bound to happen sooner or later. He'd hurt it before…twice. He'd just have preferred later, rather than sooner.

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Kathy took charge in the kitchen…so Alyssa could take care of Kelly.

Emma Lynn came to help her.

"Is there anything else we can do?" she asked.

Kathy smiled…

Emma Lynn was a good person…in just three days she fit right in with this boisterous, sometimes crazy family.

"Lyssa'll tell us if she needs us. They pretty much handle this kind of thing their own way."

"Does this…happen…often?"

But Kathy shook her head…yes and no…

"The kind of jobs Kelly and Nicky have…they get a little beat up from time to time. And Kelly especially…he never does anything half-ass. He's always going full throttle. Alyssa's the only one who can calm him down."

"It's really great that you all know each other so well…"

"Well…this family's been through a lot. And the only way to do that is to have each other's backs, right?"

"Joey told me…" Emma Lynn said hesitantly. "About the fires…"

Kathy nodded.

"That was a big part…thankfully we were all together. We could really count on each other. Kelly's been especially great with Declan." She said. "Did you know he even let him work a shift with him at the firehouse? Just to show him what it was like? Now that's all Dec talks about…wanting to be a firefighter again."

Lyssa came into the kitchen to get another ice pack…and a bottle of water.

"Is he okay?" Kathy asked.

"Yeah…he just gets a little nervous when he remembers he's not invincible…"

Emma Lynn looked confused. So Alyssa figured now was as good a time as any to explain.

"Kelly's only ever wanted to do one thing in his life…to be a firefighter…be on Squad. That's what his dad did…" she said. "And his biggest fear is losing _that_…not being able to do it anymore. More than getting burned…or crippled…or…or worse…he's scared of losing Squad 3. It's who he is."

She went into the kitchen cabinet and grabbed the bottle of Ibuprophen they'd stashed in there.

"Unfortunately, though, sometimes that fear overrides his good sense. He won't let me take him to a doctor…not unless it gets so bad he can't walk tomorrow. He doesn't want it to go on his medical record with the department, and prob'ly more than that…he's afraid of what they'll say."

Andy came running in…with Jesse hot on his heels.

"Mom! Dad says he needs you!" Andy told her.

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Alyssa excused herself and went back to her husband.

"What's wrong, Honey?" she asked as she knelt down beside him.

"I tried to bend it…and I got this really sharp pain!"

She gently applied the cold pack…and shook a couple pills out of the bottle.

Kelly swallowed them down…and Alyssa softly rubbed her hand up and down his arm.

"Come up here…" he said. "Sit with me…"

She pushed herself upright…and circled around to sink down beside him. Then she slipped her arms around his shoulders.

As Kelly settled against her he just hoped everything would turn out okay…that the trip wasn't ruined.

He closed his eyes and tried to quiet all the noise in his head…all the things that told him this was bad…he listened to his wife whisper soothingly to him…and he let himself get carried away.

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Things looked a lot better the next morning.

Before Maggie started to stir in the port-a-crib in Alyssa and Kelly's room, Lyssa got up and gently massaged his knee and she stretched and bent it several times…slowly, each time a little further…then she helped him up.

He held on to her as he took a couple of hesitant steps…but once he realized there was no pain he breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"It's okay…" he said. "I just overdid it with the water skiing…"

He held out his arms to his wife and pulled her close.

"Thank-you…" he told her softly.

"Kelly…"

"I know I can be a big baby sometimes…"

Lyssa chuckled softly.

"Yeah…you can. But I love you."

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They went back down to the lake…and Kelly and Alyssa walked along the water's edge with Maggie between them. When the gentle waves lapped up on the sand and tickled her little toes…she laughed and did this little dance…like she was running in place.

Her giggles were one of Kelly's favorite sounds in the world…and he laughed as he scooped his daughter into his arms.

Her little dance was probably one of the most adorable things he'd ever seen in his life…and he whispered that into Maggie's ear.

The baby giggled some more…and Kelly laughed out loud again.

"Don't tell your brothers though…" he whispered.

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He got in the water with his boys…and they splashed and played…until they were exhausted and waded back to shore.

Maggie was asleep on the blanket with a giant beach umbrella providing a bit of shade. Andy and Jesse thought that looked like a good idea…and pretty soon the great big eight and a half year olds had nodded off beside their baby sister.

Kelly flopped down beside Alyssa…who carefully folded down the page of her book and stuck it back in the big shoulder bag beside her. She popped open the cooler and took out a bottle of water for him.

He downed it in a few big swallows…and settled back in her arms.

And he thought he could happily spend the rest of his life right there…right in that moment.

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They went into town…and spent a leisurely afternoon strolling up and down the street, checking out all the quaint little shops.

The boys filled up on ice cream at the creamery…then they "sampled" the homemade fudge and toffee and peanut brittle at the confectionary…and they loved the shop with the wooden toys hand carved by a local artisan.

"Dad! Uncle Matt could come work here when he gets tired of bein' a firefighter!" Jesse said.

Kelly laughed.

Casey would probably get tired of being a firefighter the day before Severide did.

"You'll have to tell him about it, Jess. See what he says."

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And Kelly took Alyssa into a jewelry shop with all kinds of handmade pieces…decorated with buttons and lace and flowers…and he bought her a necklace.

It was a clear Lucite heart…with a tiny, three dimensional red rose inside.

Alyssa said it reminded her of a broach her grandmother had…one that had belonged to her mother.

As he hung it around his wife's neck…he just basked in the smile on her face…and the love shining in her eyes.

"A red rose, because I love you…" he whispered so only she could hear. "And you always have my heart, Baby."

As they were walking toward the cars, one more thing caught his eye…

And they took a detour into a shop full of stuffed animals.

Maggie's eyes lit up like Christmas…but Kelly had his on one particular thing.

He bought a stuffed bear dressed like a firefighter…and gave it to Alyssa.

He had bought her one before…years and years ago…the day he had finally decided to man up and admit that what they had was real.

In the hospital gift shop down at Lakeshore, he had bought the bear…and a single red rose.

And she kept it…always. He sat on the mantle in their first apartment…then on their dresser in their bedroom.

Unfortunately, he hadn't survived the fire.

Now it had all come full circle.

"You're gettin' pretty sentimental in your old age, Severide." She told him teasingly.

"Only for you, Babe…" he replied.

"Da-da!" Maggie squealed…

She was pointing to a stuffed unicorn. It was white…with a golden horn…and pink ribbon braided into its mane.

"Da-da! Ho-sie!"

Kelly laughed…and reached for his credit card again.

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They had parked in a municipal lot at the end of Main Street…right next to the firehouse.

"Look Dad!" Andy said pointing.

The truck and the Squad were parked out front…and the firefighters were enjoying the summer's day.

"Can we go say 'hi'?" Jesse asked.

"Sure…" Kelly told them.

No one had to tell them twice. The twins took off at a dead run…and they didn't stop till they were standing in front of the big red truck.

"Can we look at your fire truck?" Andy asked.

Two men looked at one another…they didn't usually have such enthusiastic visitors.

"Sure…what's your name, Buddy?"

"I'm Andy Severide…and this is my brother Jesse."

The firefighter held out his hand.

"I'm Captain Perkins…and this is Lieutenant Scott."

Lieutenant Scott held out his hand.

"Our dad's a lieutenant." Andy told them. "With the Chicago Fire Department!"

Jesse nodded.

"He's in charge of Squad…" Andy added.

"That's great." Captain Perkins told him. "I'd like to meet your dad."

"He's right there!" Jesse said, as he pointed to his parents coming up to the house.

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The firefighters introduced themselves…and they took the Severides on a tour of their house. They let the boys try on some of their gear…and they let them do something they'd never gotten to do before.

This house had a fire pole! And Andy and Jesse got to slide down from the bunk room to the apparatus room floor.

While they were saying goodbye to Lieutenant Scott…Captain Perkins went into the office…and came out with three t-shirts…one for Kelly…and the smallest size available for Andy and Jesse.

The boys' eyes lit up…this was so cool!

"Thanks!" Andy shouted as he held up the shirt.

It was gonna fit like a dress…but that was okay.

"Thank-you!" Jesse echoed.

Kelly shook the Captain's hand.

"I'll put a couple Squad shirts in the mail soon as I get back home…" he promised.

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But eventually the trip had to come to an end.

As they sat around the fire pit on the last night, watching the kids make S'mores…Nicky asked his brother and future sister-in-law…

"Have you guys made any decisions? About what's gonna happen next?"

Joey and Emma Lynn shared a smile.

"The kids and I are gonna come down to Chicago…" she said.

Alyssa and Kathy were ecstatic…and they both got up to give Emma Lynn a big hug.

And the next morning they had to pack up all the cars…

"So I guess we'll see you guys again in a couple weeks…" Kelly said to Savannah and Dylan.

Savannah smiled and nodded. She couldn't wait to move and be closer to Samantha and Nicole…and Dylan was already planning his adventures with Connor and Aiden and Andy and Jesse.

There was only one…tiny…little problem.

Dylan couldn't decide if he wanted to be a cop when he grew up…like Uncle Nick…or a firefighter…like Uncle Kelly.

That got a big laugh out of both the uncles.

"C'mon…" Nicky said to Kelly. "You already got your two…and my three. Can't you let me have one?"

But Kelly was pretty confident they'd get Dylan over to the CFD side.

"Like you said…I got my two…and your three. With Dylan we got our own truck."

"But I don't wanna be on Truck!" Andy interrupted. "I wanna be on Squad!"

"Me too!" Jesse agreed. "I wanna be on Squad just like you, Dad!"

Kelly's chest swelled with pride…nothing would make him happier than to see his sons follow in his footsteps…and their grandpa's footsteps.

"But you guys gotta start somewhere. You gotta get through your candidacy first…before you can make squad."

As the family said goodbye one last time to Emma and Joey and the kids, Kelly took his brother-in-law to one side.

"You want me to give Rich Allen over in Arson a call? See if the three bedroom in his building's available?


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19-Wedding Bells**

After the family got back from Wisconsin they all dove straight into wedding planning…at least Alyssa and her sisters-in-law did.

There was so much to do…

Kelly did make that call to Rich Allen…but the three bedroom was taken. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise…because Joey found a bigger apartment…only one block south and one block west from his brothers and sister. He and Emma Lynn would just hang out there, he said, till someone moved out and there was a house available on W. Boyle…which was turning into the Severide/Boungiovanni family compound.

Kelly laughed at the description…but it was accurate. And he loved it. For the millionth time, he just shook his head in wonder at the way his life had turned out. Who would have ever thought? Certainly he didn't. If someone had even hinted at the domestic bliss he'd found…a wife and three kids…a house…a huge, crazy…tight…extended family living together on the same block…he'd have laughed out loud. LOL.

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Right before he left to go to St. Paul and get Emma Lynn and the kids, Joey broke the news to his parents. And as predicted…Nadine blew a gasket. Having never even met her new daughter-in-law and step grandchildren she proclaimed that Emma was a gold digger, that she was just looking for a meal ticket, that she was using Joey and she'd take him for everything he had. They didn't know her…her family…and you couldn't trust people when you didn't_ personally_ know their family tree for at least three or four generations. Apparently _everybody_ knows _that_.

And Joey blew a gasket of his own. He wasn't asking Nadine's permission to marry…he was forty three years old. And if Nadine was going to take the role of judge, jury and executioner where his wife and his kids…and yes, he intended to raise the children as his own…were concerned the way she did with Kelly and all his brother's wives…don't even bother coming to the wedding. She wasn't invited.

He told all this to Kelly and his brothers as the men painted the new apartment and buffed the hardwood floors the Saturday before the move.

Nicky told his little brother that he wished _he'd_ had the balls to say what Joey had said to Nadine twenty years ago.

Kelly didn't get it…and he told Alyssa that night when he got home.

"Why does she feel like she's gotta run everybody's life? Like no one's got an intelligent thought in their damn head? Did her parents pick her husband for her or something?"

"I don't really know." Alyssa answered. "What I remember of my grandmother was that she was nothing like my mom…I remember her as being very supportive…I could tell her anything, and she'd just listen."

Kelly snorted.

"Supportive…I doubt Nadine even knows what that means. And I doubt she even knows how to listen."

Alyssa came to him and slipped her arms up around his neck.

"She doesn't have to touch us, Baby. Us and the kids…"

"It's sad in a way." He whispered. "I pulled away from my family when my mom died. But now…not a day goes by that I don't wish she had been around to meet you…and to see our kids. I can just picture her with Maggie. And it hurts sometimes…knowing she missed all this."

He wrapped Alyssa in his arms and pulled her in close. It didn't matter that he was hot and sweaty and he smelled like paint remover. He needed to feel her in his arms…to lose himself in the softness of her hair against his cheek, the scent of her lemon shampoo. He needed his wife.

Again…words he never thought would ever in a million years apply to him.

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Joey had timed the drive down to coincide with Kelly and Nick's schedules…so when he drove down from Minnesota with the U-Haul full of Emma Lynn and the kids things, Kelly and some of the guys from the firehouse were emptying Joey's place and bringing his stuff over to the new place. It was like a block party when everyone arrived. The kids were so excited to see each other again…and so many people made the work go fast.

Once all the trucks were unloaded and returned, everyone gathered at the Severide's for hot dogs, burgers and brats with all the fixings. And as usual, no one went home hungry. The next step, now that they had everyone here, was to pick a date for the wedding and get that going.

It had already been decided that the wedding and the reception would take place in Alyssa and Kelly's backyard.

But something was bothering Alyssa…something that was needing to be said.

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Kelly came home after shift to find his kitchen had literally exploded with food. He could smell the onions and garlic the minute he opened the back door to the four season's room.

And he knew what that meant.

Alyssa hadn't gone to bed the night before…and the only time that ever happened anymore was when there was something wrong.

He quickened his steps a little…as best he could in the mine field of toys laying around the room.

Another bad sign. Alyssa never would have let the twins get away with leaving toys all over…not under normal circumstances.

"Lys? What's goin' on?" he asked as he stepped into the kitchen.

This was really bad…there were four pots simmering on the stove…the counter top was covered in flour and the pasta maker looked like it was ready to surrender. There were freezer containers on another counter, ready to go downstairs…and the oven was on. He'd never seen the place so disorganized.

She turned at the sound of his voice.

And he knew something was terribly, horribly wrong. But what could it be? If one of the kids were sick or hurt or someone in the family was in trouble she would have surely called him.

"What's goin' on?" he asked again. "Are you okay? You're scarin' me here…"

Alyssa set the spoon down on the counter and quickly crossed the room. Kelly caught her in his arms and held her tight…trying to fight down the panic growing inside him.

"Baby…what is it?"

She looked at him. And took a deep breath.

"I…I went over to my mom's yesterday." She said.

"What'd she do?" he asked.

Whatever it was…it had obviously upset Alyssa terribly…and he'd have to do something about it.

"She didn't do anything." Lyssa told him. "I did all the talking…and I…pretty much told her to go to hell."

"WHAT?!" Kelly couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "What made you do that?"

"All this business with the wedding…and Joey uninviting Mom and Dad." She started. "I get why he did it…and I totally agree with him…but that's not what a family does. That's not what this family's about."

Kelly nodded in agreement.

"Okay…"

He was still waiting to hear the punch line.

"So I went over there and told my mom we needed at have a little come to Jesus meeting…"

Kelly took her by the hand and led her to the table. He pulled out a chair for her…and cleared a spot off.

"Tell me…" he said. "Tell me the whole story…from the beginning."

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Alyssa stood on her parents' doorstep and rang the bell.

Nadine answered.

"Lyssa…what are you doing here?" she asked in surprise as she opened the door.

"Where's Dad?"

"He's down at the Union Hall with his friends."

Even though he was retired, Tony Sr. still went down to the Union Hall every couple of days to meet with his old friends…to drink coffee and chew the fat, he said.

Funny…he never did anything like that at home…with his family.

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"What are you doing here?" Nadine asked again.

"We need to have a talk, Ma. And you're not gonna like it…but we need to settle some things right now."

"What are you talking about Alyssa Margaret? Where do you get off coming in my house…and taking that tone with me?"

"It's about Joey and Emma Lynn."

"Did she leave him already?"

"No!" Alyssa said. "That's what I'm talking about, Ma! You've never even met the girl…never laid eyes on her…and you've made up all these…_lies_…about her! Like you've done with everybody else!"

Alyssa told her mother that she's driven a wedge between herself and her six children…trying to orchestrate every facet of their lives according to some script she had in her head. And if she didn't want them to all the break away completely…she needed to re-evaluate her opinions…now!

Nadine started to protest…but Alyssa cut her off.

"You've gotta stop living in a fantasy world, Ma!" she said. "You raised six kids…and we've all made good lives for ourselves! We have homes and families…and we're all happy! And in order to do that we all had to learn to think for ourselves…and to chase our own dreams."

Before Nadine could get a word in edgewise Alyssa asked the same question Kelly had asked the other night.

"Did Nonna and Papa choose Dad to be your husband for you?" she asked. "Did you have some kind of arranged marriage?"

"No! That's ridiculous!" Nadine replied.

Alyssa folded her arms across her chest and waited.

"I met Daddy at a dance…back in '65. He was in the Army…and he was home on leave before he shipped off to Fort Briggs for more training. He was so _handsome_ in his uniform…" she sighed at the memory. "He was what we girls called the 'strong and silent type'."

"So you met him…and I assume you started writing each other…"

"Yes…and I sent him care packages when he was over in Germany. And when he mustered out…we got engaged."

"But _you_ got to choose your husband…so what makes you think you have the right to choose mine…or any of the boys' wives for that matter?"

"They may not have _chosen_ Daddy for me…but they _approved_ of him! He was a good worker! A good provider! They didn't have to worry that he couldn't take care of me!"

"Kelly _is_ a good provider! He _does_ take care of me and the kids!" Alyssa told her. "But there's more to it than that! There's more to a marriage than a joint checking account!"

"He was never the right man for you, Alyssa! He's so rough…and crass. You need someone gentle…and sensitive…someone like…"

"Someone like Jonny DiNardo?" Lyssa asked sarcastically. "Mother…for the_ last_ time…Jonny is gay. He's always been gay. He'll always be gay. Our whole "relationship" was an act to keep some homophobic jocks at school…and his father…from finding out the truth."

"I don't believe that…not for one minute!"

"It's the truth! I gave up my entire high school…my entire teenage experience as far as dating and boyfriends to protect my best friend!"

She stopped and took a breath to regroup.

"Ma…I was attracted to Kelly because he's rugged…and manly. When he's around, I feel like nothing can touch me. But you know what? He is gentle…and sensitive. And he's the most amazing father in the world. The boys idolize him…they want to be just like him. Maggie adores him…and she's his little princess. He's a good friend…he'd give the shirt off his back for the guys down at the firehouse. He's a good brother…whenever Nicky would call him because Declan was having a nightmare…he'd jump out of bed and run over to help."

Nadine still seemed unmoved.

"Did you know how he took care of our neighbors…Mr. and Mrs. Garibaldi? Did you know that for _seven years_ he cut their lawn…raked their leaves, shoveled their driveway…fixed things around their house? Did you know that when that little monster set fire to their house, he ran in there…no gear…_injured_…and got them out? And when Mr. Garibaldi died…Kelly made sure he got a fireman's funeral. The honor guard, the bunting on the firehouse…the bell ceremony…all that was Kelly…because he felt like thirty-four years of service couldn't go unrecognized."

She paused.

"And he treats me like a queen, Ma. Not a single day goes by that he doesn't let me know how much he loves me." She said. "You'd see that…if you just took your head outta the sand."

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Kelly didn't know what to say…he took Alyssa's hand and brought it to his lips to kiss it.

"I told her that she's got some decisions to make. But for my part, I wasn't going to tolerate her treating you like that anymore. I should have said something a long time ago."

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The wedding day finally arrived…and the whole family…minus Nadine and Tony Sr. gathered in Alyssa and Kelly's back yard. A few friends were there…including Joey's old buddy Jason. Kelly just gave him a long, hard look when he arrived. Nothing needed to be said…and Jason kept his distance from Alyssa.

Everyone from the firehouse was invited…and Emma Lynn's parents came from Minnesota. And surprisingly…her late husband's parents came as well. They still loved Emma Lynn…and they were happy for her and Joey. They liked him…and the way he treated Emma and the kids. They knew their grandchildren were getting a wonderful step-father.

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While everyone was eating and drinking and having a good time, Kelly took Lyssa aside.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I guess I thought they'd come. I can't believe she's so damn stubborn that she'd miss her own son's wedding."

"You know…the last thing I ever wanted was to come between you and your family."

"You haven't! _You're_ my family! You and the kids!" she said. "And we don't need anyone in our lives who can't respect that! Everyone that matter is right here…in this yard…right now."

He took her in his arms.

She was right…everyone that mattered was right there…right now.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20-Hollywood's Back In Town**

Chicago Fire was coming back for season two…and the boys were back in town!

The very day he arrived, Morgan called Kelly.

He had something to tell him…

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Kelly was cleaning out the garage. Now that the wedding was over…he wanted to get a new roof on it before winter came.

He heard a car door slam and turned to see Craddock coming up the drive.

Then he turned back to the job at hand. He knew Hollywood would roll up his sleeves.

Call it part of his "training".

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"Hey…" he said over his shoulder. "How was South Carolina?"

Craddock had taken off right after the show wrapped for Charleston…where he was filming a movie. It was his first big screen role, and it was all due to the attention he'd gotten from Chicago Fire.

"Good…" Morgan said. "It was good. Really pretty city."

"I'm sure you had tons of time for sight-seeing…"

Another misconception he'd had about Hollywood was the guy's work ethic. Kelly had assumed the guy slept till noon and partied all night long. Man, was he wrong. Craddock was usually the first one on set…and one of the last to leave.

"Well, we shot a few scenes in some cool looking neighborhoods."

"So what was it about? You don't call…you don't write…so start talkin'." Kelly teased.

Morgan did call…and Skype…Andy and Jesse.

"Well…my character, Scott…he works in this trendy coffee shop…and he meets this really cute girl. They start this hot and heavy thing…and but one night he accidently sleeps with her mom."

"How do 'accidently' sleep with someone's mom?" Kelly scoffed.

Sisters, he could see…maybe…cousins…but never mom.

"Drunken Saturday night…big house…open the wrong door…end up in the wrong bed. Anyway…the mom is hot. Turns out she's also psycho. She starts terrorizing Scott and her daughter…and…"

"And…"

"Now if I tell you everything, you won't be surprised…" Craddock said jokingly.

Kelly just rolled his eyes. He wasn't a big one for going to the movies. He and Lyssa usually waited for Netflix.

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Craddock started packing up things on the work bench…

Kelly was gonna store his tools and stuff in Jimmy's garage. The guy only had a car in there…he had plenty of room.

"So what's on the menu for season two?" Kelly asked.

"Big stuff! I'm totally stoked! Whitlock becomes the target of an arsonist in the first episode…he pissed somebody off big time last season, apparently. They blow up my car…all kinds of shit."

Lots of fire…Kelly knew what he'd be doing in the next few weeks.

The producers had already talked to him and Casey about staying on as "special consultants".

"_And_ I'm getting a serious love interest!" Craddock went on. "No more sleeping my way around Chicago…"

"What's that all about?"

Morgan had been pushing for a relationship for his character…he'd had an affair in the middle of the season…but it ended when she moved out of the country.

"So the character's name is Rebecca Morton…and she's a paramedic. She gets reassigned to Station 12 because she's trying to avoid a controlling ex-husband. The guy refuses to accept the relationship is over…and she changes her whole life around to try and hide from him."

Hollywood's face was like the twins' on Christmas morning…

"And she and Whitlock develop this on-the-job flirtation and it all comes to a head when she gets scared that the ex found her. She sees a car driving by the station, but it accelerates before she can get the plate. She asks Whitlock to follow her home…then she invites him in for a beer…one thing leads to another…"

"I get the picture…" Severide told him. "Where'd they come up with that one?"

Parts of it were hitting a little too close to home.

Morgan looked sheepish…

"I wrote it. I created the character…I wrote up the story arc…and I took it to Todd Keller. They decided to run with it. I'm actually gonna get the credit for it! My first writing credit. And the role's being cast as we speak…she'll prob'ly turn up about the fourth or fifth episode."

"They got anyone particular in mind?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah…but prob'ly no one you've heard of. The front runner is an actress named Shaina Weathers. She was on some family drama on one of the cable channels…plug got pulled after thirteen episodes though."

Yeah…no one he'd know.

But he was happy for his friend…he knew Morgan liked the writing angle…and he had some good ideas. It was nice that he was getting some recognition for it.

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They worked for a couple hours…till the twins came home from playing down the block.

"Morgan! You're back!" Andy hollered as he ran up the drive.

Just before he and Jesse could paste Hollywood…

"Whoa! Whoa…whoa, guys." Kelly told them. "You're gettin' way too big for that. You're gonna hurt somebody."

But the boys were ecstatic that their friend was back. Right away they started telling him all about their summer…their baseball team…their vacation…their new cousins…they were talking so fast and finishing each other's sentences that Kelly was getting dizzy. And he was usually the one who had to translate for everyone else!

"And I struck three guys out…all in a row!" Andy said.

"And I hit a double…and I caught a pop-up…this one kid…he does that all the time!" Jesse added

"That's 'cause he always drops his shoulder! I tried to tell him…" Andy went on.

"But he never listens to us!" Jesse finished.

"And we missed two games 'cause we was on vacation…we went to Door County…and I caught a really big fish…the very first day!"

"I did too!" Jesse interrupted.

"But mine was bigger!" Andy said. "Right, Dad?"

He turned to Kelly.

"I'm not gettin' in the middle here." He said as he held up his hands. "And take it easy on Morgan…he's just had three months of peace and quiet. He's not used to the two of you trippin' over each other…"

He reached out to pull the boys close to him…so they knew he was just teasing them.

"Are you back to stay for good?" Jesse asked.

Morgan nodded.

"Yeah…for a while anyway. We start filming again next week." He said. "But I didn't get to tell you guys the really exciting part! I got a new apartment…and I can't wait for you to see it!"

"Really? You're not gonna live at the hotel anymore?" Andy asked.

"Are you still gonna eat dinner here?" Jesse wondered.

That was what they always told the kids…that because Hollywood lived in a hotel he didn't have anyone to cook dinner for him…unless he went out to a restaurant.

And Alyssa's cooking was better than any restaurant…_everybody_ knew that.

"If your mom and dad invite me…or maybe you can eat dinner at my place."

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The whole family went to check out Hollywood's new digs.

It was in a high-rise building on the Gold Coast…and it was actually two apartments…Morgan had bought both and had them connected by a door.

And he moved his mom and his grandma in.

He was so excited to be able to do that for his mom. He told Kelly the first thing he did was hire a cleaning lady…so his mom didn't need to knock herself out any more. She could officially retire.

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Then Morgan proudly showed off his side of the massive, now six bedroom, four and two half baths apartment.

Kelly could see he'd had the twins in mind. The guest room had a king size bed, and rich Mahogany furniture…and pops of Andy's red and Jesse's blue in the comforter and the throw pillows. There were pictures of the boys in frames scattered about the apartment…and then he showed them the playroom.

He had turned the third bedroom into a "big boys'" playroom. There was a 62" screen mounted on one wall…surround sound…and four massive Lazy Boy recliners…each with a red or blue throw pillow propped on the seat. There was the latest X-box unit…and over a dozen games…and Kelly saw a lot of the titles the boys had at home.

There was a mural of the Chicago skyline painted on one wall…and a huge salt water aquarium full of fish in every size, shape and color. It was like he'd brought a little piece of the Shedd Aquarium right into the house.

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Kelly set Maggie down as he looked around in amazement.

"Fissies!" Maggie cried as she scampered across the room.

She stood in front of the tank…her little hands on the glass…and she did her little happy dance.

"Fissies!" she said again. "My fissies!"

Kelly couldn't help but smile a huge smile.

Morgan had obviously had the kids in mind when he set all this up. He wanted to twins to know they were welcome in his house…

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Hollywood crossed the room to where Maggie was still in awe of the colors and the motion in the fish tank.

"And I didn't forget about you, Maggie…" he said as he knelt down beside her. He held out his hand…

Maggie looked at him quizzically…then she looked up at Kelly.

"It's okay, Baby Girl. Go with Morgan." He told her.

Morgan led Maggie to what Kelly had assumed was the walk in closet in the room…but when he opened the door and turned on the light a little ceiling fan began to spin gently above a little girl's playroom.

The walls were painted a light shade of pink…and there was a mural on one wall to resemble windows looking out on a park on a bright sunny day. Between the two "windows" there was a little white table and chairs…and on low shelves along the back wall were blocks and pegs and bins with crayons and no-mess markers and paints. There was a stack of thick drawing paper a foot tall and a little TV/DVD combo unit. Morgan had arranged a collection of Disney movies…The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, and Mulan…all the princesses.

There was a rack full of picture books and a big pink and white bean bag chair…and finally a little kitchen set and a dolly bed with a brand new American Girl baby in it.

Maggie squealed with delight and she ran over to the bean bag chair and plopped herself down to check out all her new books.

Lyssa had tears in her eyes as she hugged Morgan and kissed his cheek.

And Kelly couldn't even express what that meant…his friend going all out for his kids like that. Once Alyssa had let go and gone to sit with Maggie…he slapped Hollywood on the back and pulled him in for a "man-hug".


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21-The Toughest Two Minutes in Sports**

The whole family woke up early that day.

While Alyssa supervised the boys getting ready and got Maggie dressed Kelly stood under a hot shower just to relax and clear his head.

Today was the big day…the one he waited for all year…more than Christmas…more than his birthday…more than his anniversary. This was the day he'd been preparing for for the past six months.

Today was the area event of the Annual Firefighter Combat Challenge…the first step toward an international event where firefighters from all over the US and Canada competed in contests of strength, agility, athleticism and fitness. Squad 3 was defending their title on the obstacle course…also referred to as the Toughest Two Minutes in Sports.

The four man team had to complete five components of the course in full gear…in two minutes or less. Not only did it require high levels of fitness…these were skills they used every day on their jobs.

Squad 3 was the best of the best…and Kelly made damn sure to keep it that way.

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He stepped out of the shower and over to the sink.

And he just about jumped out of his skin when he felt Alyssa's hands slide across his back.

He was so deep in thought…and Alyssa was so tiny…that she managed to sneak right in behind him and he never even saw her.

"Don't do that…"

"I'm sorry , Honey…" she said softly as she reached up and began to massage his shoulders.

Kelly took a deep breath and let it out slowly…feeling the tension drain from his body. Alyssa had some kind of sixth sense when it came to how he was feeling.

He groaned as she hit a tight spot.

"That feels so good…" he told her.

"That's what I'm here for…"

He turned around and slipped his arms around her slender frame and pulled her in close.

"Really? I thought you were here for somethin' else…"

"Not with three kids awake and moving around…" she chided him.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"The boys are downstairs…and Maggie's in her crib. Can't you hear her?"

He stopped to listen…and sure enough…Maggie was chattering away.

God help him when she became a teenager. He could just imagine the phone bills.

He didn't even want to think about it…so he hugged Alyssa tight.

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"You okay, Baby?" she asked.

"Yeah…just nervous energy…I just wanna get this one over with." He replied.

"How's your knee holdin' up?"

She worried about him constantly…and with all the extra workouts to get ready for the competition…plus his regular work schedule…his knee had been giving him problems all summer.

"It's okay." He said.

He hated that she had to worry so much…but that was part of being married to a firefighter. He just didn't like to give her_ extra_ reasons…

"You want me to get your brace out?" she asked.

"It's downstairs in my gym bag."

"There's one up here…I ordered a new one a few weeks ago at the medical supply store. I just picked it up yesterday."

She raised up on her tip toes to kiss him lightly.

"I'm gonna go get the princess before she tries to go over the wall." She said.

"Okay…" he agreed reluctantly.

She kissed him again and went to go get the brace out of the dresser drawer and get the baby. And Kelly turned back to the sink and reached for his toothbrush.

Time to get his head in the game.

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Squad 3 had been training extra hard…the competition was so stiff. And once the pairings for the first round were announced…then things got personal.

Their first opponent was Wheaton Fire and Rescue and the man in charge out there was Lieutenant Tom DeBellis. DeBellis was a former member of Squad 5…back before he defected out to the 'burbs.

The CFD guys usually just rolled their eyes when it came to the suburban companies. These guys fought four or five fires a month…maybe. And they got all the choice equipment. Severide had heard that the Wheaton guys got a new rig every three to five years whether they needed it or not. His squad was fifteen years old…the suspension was shot to hell…and it had a cracked cylinder head. He'd lost track of how many tubes of Bond-O he'd used on that thing. And don't even get him started on the busted spring under his seat.

Severide had known DeBellis for over twenty years…the guy was a cocky SOB. Yes, he was well aware some people used exactly those same words to describe him…but DeBellis was in a league of his own.

The guy just wouldn't stay gone. He still had some ties with the CFD, some buddies he still kept in touch with. It was hard to believe anyone could stand the guy…let alone want to be friends with him. But all that spring and summer, every time he turned around, there was DeBellis…showing up at softball games, the bowling alley, whatever.

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Station 51 came off the field, high-fiving and congratulating one another on their win over Station 8. It was a good game…8 had a good team…certainly worthy opponents.

"Ummm…" Casey groaned. "Look what the cat dragged in…"

Kelly turned to see Tom DeBellis coming toward then with a snide expression on his face.

"Shit…" he muttered under his breath. "Here we go…"

"Hey, guys…" DeBellis greeted them with what sounded to be faked enthusiasm.

"DeBellis…" Casey acknowledged the interloper.

"Casey…" DeBellis nodded.

Then his eyes came to rest on Kelly.

"Severide…"

"DeBellis…I thought Wheaton was south of here…didya get lost?"

"Nah…it's such a beautiful day…I thought I'd catch a game."

"You don't have softball out in the 'burbs? I'm surprised…all that time you got on your hands." Kelly said.

Before DeBellis could fire off the next shot, the twins came running over and crashed into Kelly.

"Dad!" Andy said as he threw his arms around Kelly's waist. "Can we run the bases?"

"Yeah…can we?" Jesse asked as he hugged his dad too…

"Sure, guys…" he told them. "Go on…"

"Can you time us?" Andy begged.

Before Kelly could answer Mills cut in.

"I got it, Lieutenant." He said.

Kelly nodded it was okay.

"C'mon guys." Mills told the twins as he herded them off to the field.

DeBellis stared in disbelief. Severide…with kids? Twins, no less?

Then Alyssa appeared pushing the stroller where Maggie was fast asleep. Her little clip on fan was working overtime in the heat and the whirling sounded like a swarm of mosquitoes.

She handed Kelly a towel…and a bottle of ice cold Gatorade.

"Here you go…" she said with a smile.

"Thanks, Babe…"

He took the pro-offered gifts and wiped the sweat from his face before he leaned down to kiss her. Then he heard a sound somewhere between a laugh and a snort. He looked up and DeBellis was grinning like a damn Cheshire cat.

Severide's expression hardened.

"Tom DeBellis…" he said tersely. "My wife, Alyssa…"

DeBellis sneered…or maybe that was supposed to be a smile. And the hand Kelly had around Lyssa's waist tightened into a fist.

"I never thought I'd meet the woman who'd actually marry Kelly Severide." DeBellis said.

"Now you have…" Alyssa replied in an icy…chillingly flat tone.

The men from Station 51 took a collective step back. After ten years, they recognized that tone of voice. It meant Alyssa's Sicilian temper was about to let loose. And there were no fire trucks to hide behind.

But Andy and Jesse unknowingly saved the idiot from what was sure to be a slow and agonizing death when they came running back over to Kelly, their faces all red and sweaty.

"Dad!" Andy said. "Can we go with Uncle Pete and Aunt Gabby to the diner?"

"We need to get your sister home so she can nap in her own bed." He told him.

"We can ride in Uncle Pete's car!" Andy said, like that solved everything.

"I'll bring 'em back in a couple hours, Lieutenant." Mills told him.

Kelly nodded again and the twins let out a cheer.

As Dawson and Mills steered them over to the parking lot…DeBellis snorted.

"That's too sweet…"

"Don't you have anyplace better to be?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah…like maybe go harass some senior citizens or something?" Otis added.

"It's an awful long ride out to Wheaton." Casey told him pointedly.

DeBellis looked from one man to the next and decided a tactical retreat was probably in his best interest.

"See you around, boys…" he said.

"Not if I see you first!" Kelly called after him.

As they watched the asshole walk away…

"Who let him into the city in the first place?" Otis said in disgust.

"He must've slipped past the roadblocks…" Casey replied.

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They watched for another moment or two.

"Oh well…" Otis changed the subject. "I vote we get outta this heat. C'mon…Molly's is opening early. Special CFD Happy Hour."

"I'm in…" Cruz said.

"Me too." Casey said. "Sounds like just what the doctor ordered…"

"We gotta get the baby home…" Kelly told them.

"Eh…" Hermann said with a wave of his hand. "Bring 'er along. When she wakes up we'll get her a Shirley Temple…in a sippy cup."

That got a laugh.

Alyssa looked up at Kelly.

"You should go, Babe…you earned it." She said. "I'll take Princess Maggie home."

"You sure?" he asked.

She popped up on her toes to kiss him.

"Go on…I'll see you later."

She headed to the parking lot.

"C'mon Lieutenant…" Hermann said. "You just got yourself a hall pass…"

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They all dearly hoped they'd seen the last of Tom DeBellis…but no such luck. He kept turning up…at softball, bowling, and the pool hall…like a bad penny. So far he hadn't had the balls to walk into Molly's…and the men kind of made an unspoken agreement to keep the poker games strictly in house. Kelly's house, that is…no outside players.

But then the pairings for the first round of the challenge came out. And Kelly knew Squad 3 had to come out on top. There was simply no other option. They'd been number one for three years in a row…and if he lost now, he'd have to leave Chicago. Maybe even Illinois.

Paper in hand he strode out to the apparatus room and up to Squad's sacred table. He slammed the paper down in front of him.

"Guys…we're going up against Wheaton in the first round."

There were some general grumblings..and Mills reached out to take the paper and read the bad news for himself.

"As of right now…we're all in training." Kelly said. "We're working out for at least three hours every day…cardio, core strengthening, lifting, distance running, wind sprints, stairs…and anything else I can think of. No more junk food…and a two beer per day limit."

There were howls of protest.

"Two beers?" Capp sputtered in disbelief.

"Three hour workouts?" Mills whined.

"Guys!" Severide had to raise his voice to make himself heard. "Guys! This is a matter of _pride _here…we're three time champions!"

He leaned forward, hands on the table.

"I am _not_ gonna lose to a douche bag like Tom DeBellis! Now…we're a _team_. Anybody who's not willing to lay it all on the line…"

He cocked his head in the direction of the door.

"There's the door…don't let it hit ya in the ass on your way out."

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The new training regimen was tough on everyone…and Kelly doubled his efforts. He already worked out two hours a day. Now he did four. He regularly ran three miles…now he did at least five.

The only thing he didn't worry about was the food. Lyssa took care of all that.

And more than once she nearly got him killed.

She started packing a full sized Igloo cooler every time he was on shift. He'd nearly doubled his usual food intake…and he was always snacking on something.

One morning he sat down at the table in the common room for a mid-morning snack…a huge bowl of cut up fruit and a great, big Honey Raisin muffin. But before he could even take a bite…he felt half a dozen eyes on him.

"What?"

"That's what we wanna know?" Mills said.

"What happened to the 'no junk food' rule?" Capp asked.

"This isn't junk food…it's fresh fruit…and a muffin."

"Doesn't a muffin count as junk food?" Capp asked Mills.

"Last time I checked." Mills replied.

"Well…I'll have you know, Lyssa made this…and it turns out there's this trick she plays on the kids where she puts vegetables in cookies and cake and muffins. This thing's got sweet potatoes and carrots…and a bunch of other stuff ground in." Kelly told them.

Hermann pulled up a chair.

"I heard about that." He said. "She showed Cindy how to do that when the little guy wouldn't eat his vegetables."

"Thank you." Kelly said.

Then he looked up at his squad…who was still not convinced.

"See?"

He got more of the same when he pulled out his lunch. But he didn't care. He ate like a king…and the rest of them could just go kiss his ass.

Besides, Lyssa promised she'd get him the biggest stuffed pizza in Chicago as soon as he brought home that trophy. That…and a very special dessert.

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But it eventually all started to come together. Squad 3 was stronger than ever. They were running farther, faster…lifting more…and some of the Truck guys had even jumped on the band wagon as well.

Severide and Casey ran through the neighborhood one evening…

"Not bad for a couple old guys, huh?" he quipped as they stood in Kelly's driveway, leaning over to catch their breath.

They'd just gone eight miles…

"Who are you callin' old?" Kelly asked.

Casey was nearly a year older than Severide.

But Kelly sure felt old sometimes. He'd turned forty-four that year…and that was positively ancient for someone in his line of work. These extra workouts, regular shifts, softball…and the twins were in baseball now. They'd moved up to Little League this year…and Andy was already a starting pitcher. A regular chip off the old block.

Plus all that, he and Casey were putting a new roof on the garage. Some days…his knee would be absolutely killing him. Lyssa was having to dig deep into her bag of tricks in order to find things to ease the pain…and talk him off the ledge.

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What's that saying about if you want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans? About a week before the competition, disaster struck.

They were at an apartment fire…it was an old building…not in the best condition. Okay…falling apart. The thing was probably built in the early 1900's…and the wiring was possibly original. At least that's the way it looked from the crude repair work the firefighters saw around the building.

Either that or all the rats Kelly saw scurrying through the halls as he made his way up to the top floor had been gnawing on those wires…

There was an elderly couple trapped on the third floor…and Kelly couldn't help but think of the Garibaldi's as he raced up the stairs. He kicked in the apartment door and entered a smoke filled hallway not even an arm span wide.

"Fire Department!" Kelly hollered. "Anybody here? Call out!"

The entry hall gave way to a larger room and they nearly tripped over a body.

It was the old man.

"Capp! Take him!" Severide yelled. "I'll find the wife!"

Capp scooped the victim into his arms and Severide continued to move to the rear of the apartment.

"Fire Department!" he yelled again. "Call out!"

He stopped to listen…and over the roar of the flames he could make out a weak sound…barely.

"Oscar? Oscar? Where are you?"

Severide followed the cries to a back bedroom…where he found the wife.

"Oscar?" she called again.

She was fading fast.

Kelly went to the hospital bed set up in the room…and glanced around at the medical equipment. He didn't have a lot of time. Once the flames got in, there was enough oxygen there to blow the whole block to hell.

Again, he flashed back to Mr. Garibaldi.

He reached into the bed and tried to lift the old woman…only to find she was tied with four point restraints!

He searched frantically for his knife in the pocket of his jacket. He flipped it open and cut the ties. One…two…he felt his way along the bed rails…three…one more…where the hell was it? Four!

He quickly folded the blade and shoved the knife in his pocket and reached for the woman.

She'd already passed out from the smoke.

Then he heard Capp's voice over the radio.

"Mayday! Mayday!" Capp yelled. "Stairs collapsed! I'm down! I can't move!"

Shit!

That was not something you ever wanted to hear…but it also pointed out a bigger problem.

"Hey!" he called out. "I'm still up on three! I need a ladder at the rear window!"

He laid the victim back in the bed and slammed the bedroom door shut. He started busting out windows to vent some of the choking black smoke.

Now the team had to split their focus. They had to get Capp…who was injured from the sound of it…and Kelly.

After what seemed like an eternity Severide heard the ladder scrape against the side of the building. He rushed to pass the victim out to Otis the second his face appeared at the top.

Otis started backing down the ladder with the old woman over his shoulder. Kelly took one last look around and he saw the orange glow through the cracks in the door. The flames were in the apartment. He went out the window and down the ladder.

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The moment his feet hit the ground he took off at a dead run around to the front of the building. Just as he got there Casey came through the front door carrying the old man…Oscar. Mills and the new guy, Clark…were right behind him supporting Capp between them. Capp wasn't putting any weight on his left leg.

"What the hell happened?!" Severide demanded.

As the officer in charge, he was responsible for the safety of his men…he should have been there.

"Stairs collapsed on one!" Capp said, gritting his teeth in pain. "We fell down to the basement apartment!"

Shay and Dawson came running with the gurney…and Mills and Clark helped Capp onto it.

"What is it?" Shay asked.

"My leg!" Capp told her. "I can't move my leg!"

Kelly watched as the paramedics took him away.

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Back at the firehouse, he showered and changed…and waited for Shay and Dawson to get back with word on the elderly couple…and Capp.

He was pacing the floor in the apparatus room. Mills and Clark sat at the squad table watching Kelly's every move with anxious anticipation. Finally, Ambulance 61 pulled in…and Shay and Dawson climbed down off the rig.

The ER over at Lakeshore was nuts! Besides the old couple and Capp…there were two more victims from the apartment fire. A little girl who'd run back inside looking for her kitten…and the postal worker who was passing by and saw her…and run in after her.

The grandson of the old couple had shown up and was making such a scene that the ER clerk had ended up calling the cops.

Severide stopped his pacing and waited…and waited.

"Well?" he finally asked, his voice cracking with frustration.

The two paramedics looked at one another…each one pleading with the other to just go ahead and tell him the news. Neither one wanted to have to do it.

Casey, Cruz, Hermann and Otis had come out of the common room.

Everyone was waiting.

"_Well_?" Severide asked again.

Shay sighed.

"Do you want the bad news? Or the worse news?"

Kelly was in no mood for guessing games and before he could blast his best friend, Casey spoke up.

"What's the story on the victims?" he asked.

"The postal worker and the little girl are both gonna make it." Dawson said. "They're suffering from smoke inhalation…and the postal worker was burned on his back and his legs. But they'll be okay…eventually."

"And the old couple?" Kelly asked.

"The wife's in bad shape…she's unresponsive." Shay told him. "They were gonna move her up to ICU and do a brain scan tomorrow to see if there's any activity."

"Did anybody know why she was tied up?" Otis wanted to know.

Kelly wanted to know that too. He had wasted at least a minute…maybe longer trying to get the restrains undone. That time could mean the difference between life and death.

"I overheard the grandson saying she was an Alzheimer's patient." Shay said. "Apparently she got out a couple times and got lost."

"And the husband didn't make it." Dawson added. "He was probably dead by the time you found him. He was a cancer survivor…and he had diminished lung capacity. The grandson said he'd had a lobe removed…"

Everyone was silent. Knowing all this didn't make it any easier. It was still a bad way to go.

There was one more person they had to know about.

"And what about Capp?" Kelly asked.

"He broke his leg…two places." Shay said quietly.

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More silence. That was definitely not what they wanted to hear.

"We're gonna have to forfeit." Mills said.

Forfeit? Let DeBellis win? No way…no way in hell…

"Over my dead body…" Kelly said, spinning around to face the two remaining members of his team. "I'll run two legs if I have to."

"They won't let you double up." Clark pointed out. "Four man teams…no exceptions…you know the rules."

Kelly's mind was reeling. There was no fucking _way_ he was going to just lay down and let Wheaton have his trophy. He'd never hear the end of it!

Forfeit! That word wasn't even _in_ his vocabulary!

Maybe one of the Truck guys could fill in. Casey was fast…Cruz was strong. Maybe he could reach out to one of the guys on another shift. There had to be a way. He just had to find it.

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The answer hit him right between the eyes the next night at home. The kids were in bed…and Alyssa was making him a protein shake in the kitchen. He lay across the sofa just absentmindedly flipping through the channels when he stopped on channel 5.

He was watching a re-run of Chicago Fire…and there was Craddock…and Kelly watched him shinny up a drain pipe to rescue some girl who had crawled out a window.

He reached for his phone.

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Craddock arrived the next morning at seven…just like Kelly had told him to.

"What's goin' on?" he asked. "What's the big emergency?"

Kelly looked at him seriously.

"I need you, man…I need you to deliver an Emmy winning performance of a Chicago firefighter."

Craddock was lost.

"Come with me." Kelly said and he turned around.

Morgan followed him into the living room. Kelly pointed to the couch and started playing with his tablet. He cued up a video…and handed it over.

Still wondering when all this was going to start making sense, Morgan took the tablet and pressed 'play'.

He studied the pictures on the screen and he felt the blood draining from his face.

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This was _insane_!

When the clip was over he stared up at the Lieutenant…his mouth open…his eyes wide.

"You want me to do _this_?" he asked, and his voice cracked.

"I _need_ you to do that." Kelly said emphatically.

He went on to explain…about the three consecutive championships…the douche bag Lieutenant out in Wheaton…all the smack he'd been talkin' all summer long…and how Capp's injury put them in a position to have to forfeit.

"And you think I can do this?" Morgan asked incredulously. "No offense to your training me and everything, but I'm not a real firefighter. Remember?"

"I _know_ you can." Kelly said. "I'm gonna train you myself. I'll be there every step of the way. But I've never…_ever_…asked you for a favor, Hollywood. And I'm askin' now."

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The next three days were the longest and the hardest of Morgan's life. Severide took a personal day…and they went out to the course…and Severide showed him every component of the challenge. He explained what each obstacle simulated…and he drilled him…over and over.

Turns out…Craddock did the best on the tower climb. So he was gonna be the man to start it all off.

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The day of the competition arrived…and Kelly came down the stairs where the family was waiting.

Lyssa had already packed the cooler with the water and the Gatorade and the protein bars. She'd packed a second cooler with juice and water and snacks for the kids…and already gooped them up with sunscreen.

They were ready to go.

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There were a bunch of other competitions first. The Truck guys had to couple a hose line to a hydrant…and put out a trash can fire…there were races and relays, sans gear…the wusses. There was a contest to see who could chop through a solid wood door the fastest.

There was tons of stuff for the kids…races, tug of war, climbing wall, an obstacle course that the twins couldn't wait to try…Safety Town…face painting.

Maggie giggled when the clown drew a bunny face on her.

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Of course, Kelly had to run into DeBellis…how could he not?

"I…uh…heard about Capp." He said. "Tough break…no pun intended."

"Don't worry 'bout us…we'll be fine." Kelly told him. "Worry about your own team."

"You're that confident, huh?" DeBellis asked. "Maybe you wanna put your money where your mouth is?"

"Anytime, man…"

"Hundred bucks?" DeBellis offered.

Kelly scoffed.

A measly hundred bucks?

"Why not make it interesting?" he asked. "Why not make it a grand?"

"You got that much money to lose?" DeBellis asked. "Oh…I'll be happy to take it off your hands."

"Deal." Kelly replied, holding out his hand.

The two rivals locked eyes…each looking for a weakness to exploit.

Finding none…they shook hands to seal their bet.

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At the appointed time…he collected his team…they all geared up…and fell in behind their leader as they strode out to the course.

Each man took his position.

And at the sound of the gun, Craddock took off, running up the stairs of a five story tower carrying a forty five pound length of hose on his shoulder. Once he made it to the top, he dropped the hose he was carrying…and grabbed a rope. Clark was already up at the top, Next they had to work together to hoist a forty pound hose roll…the men called it the doughnut…up to the top.

His arms were burning as he pulled with all his might. Whatever happened…Craddock knew he was not gonna be the weakest link!

He fought through the pain and they pulled the doughnut in seconds before the Wheaton guys.

Then Clark took off down the stairs…and he jumped onto a steel sled. Again, you had to use your upper body to pound the hundred and sixty pound center beam five feet with a nine pound sledge hammer.

When he had completed this challenge…Clark handed off to Severide…who had to run along a hundred and fifty foot course, a maze of staggered fire hydrants, to get to the hose drag. He lifted the fully charged line onto his shoulder and dragged it seventy five feet, through a pair of swinging doors, and fired a stream of water at a stationary target.

Mills was the anchor man. Kelly handed off to him and Mills had to drag a hundred seventy five pound dummy a hundred feet…backwards. He crossed the line at one minute forty nine seconds…just a couple footfalls ahead of Tom DeBellis.

They had done it! Four consecutive years…Squad 3 was the team to beat!

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Kelly went to collect his winnings.

"Okay…pay up, DeBellis…" he said.

"You cheated!" DeBellis accused, going toe to toe with Severide, jabbing his finger against Kelly's shoulder.

"How do you figure?" Kelly asked…as he brushed his shoulder…like he was shooing an annoying insect away.

"He's not a firefighter!" DeBellis hissed.

"No, but I play one on TV." Craddock quipped.

Mills and Clark both chuckled.

"See!" DeBellis said. "Your guy even admits it!"

But Severide looked bored.

"I'm going to the officials!" DeBellis went on. "You'll be disqualified!"

Kelly just smirked.

"Do you really wanna push this?" he asked quietly, pitching his voice so only DeBellis could hear. "Do you really want it to get around that you guys got beat by a pretty boy Hollywood actor?"

He looked over to Craddock.

"No offense…" he said quickly.

"None taken…" Craddock replied.

DeBellis glared at Severide…trying to bluff his way out of this.

Severide just squared his shoulders…and crossed his arms over his chest…waiting…patiently.

There was a tense moment…Craddock, Mills, and Clark…along with the three Wheaton guys…waited to see who was backing down.

Finally…DeBellis cracked…and reached for his wallet.

Kelly held out his hand as the loser counted out ten C notes…

When the last one was laid on the pile, Kelly closed his fist around the cash.

"See ya next year DeBellis." He said as he and his team walked away to celebrate their victory.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22-Train 'Em Up Right**

Summer slowly turned to fall and the neighborhood was full of activity…again.

The twins were starting third grade…Connor was in fourth…Dylan had started fifth. Savannah joined Garrett and Aiden in seventh grade…and Nicole was in eighth.

Samantha and Declan were sophomores…at Resurrection and St. Pat's respectively.

Emma Lynn had found a job at Lakeshore, in the Outpatient therapy clinic…and Alyssa was watching Ainsley while she worked.

Football was in full swing…the kids all had their activities…it was hectic, but it was good.

All the adults agreed…this close-knit family, this close-knit neighborhood…this was exactly the kind of growing up they wanted for their kids. The memories they were making together…would carry them through a lifetime.

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Kelly was changing the oil on Alyssa's car one afternoon. School would be letting out soon…but this year Andy and Jesse had begged to be allowed to walk by themselves. They weren't babies, after all. It hurt Kelly a little…he loved taking the kids and picking them up…hearing all about their day on the way home. But he understood they were growing up and they wanted some freedom.

Besides, he was walking himself to school a long before the third grade.

He heard a backpack drop to the ground and he looked out from under the hood to find is nephew Declan standing in the driveway.

"Hey, Dec…" he said. "What're you doing here?"

"I've got somethin' I wanted to show you, Uncle Kelly."

Kelly grabbed a rag and wiped the grease from his hands the best he could. He stepped around the car and saw Declan was holding a folded pamphlet.

He held out his hand…and Declan gave the glossy tri-fold over.

It was a brochure for the CPFTA Program.

"I saw that in the Career Center at school this morning." Declan told him.

The Chicago Police and Fire Training Academy was a program for high school juniors and seniors. They attended all their classes at their regular schools…and then three hours of classes five days a week at the R. J. Quinn Academy. They studied the history of the CFD, basic fire science, organizational structure, SOP and Chain of Command, PT and after their first year they moved on to an unpaid internship with the department.

In their senior year they got into fire topics such as infectious control, high-rise firefighting, arson investigations, flashovers, back draft fires, fire tetrahedron, and effects of fire on various structures, and more PT. A group of students was also selected to learn about pre-hospital emergency medical care, ambulance service, and all the aspects of a basic EMT. Field trips and teambuilding activities were included that year. Students also received their AED Defibrillator and First Responder training and certification.

They still couldn't officially enter the department until they were twenty one…but most of the kids who went through the program went on to study fire science at a local college and work as EMT's until they could apply to the Academy. Ninety-nine percent of the kids who did this Junior program successfully completed their training at the top of their class and were already pretty highly skilled as they entered their Candidacy.

Kelly wished this had been around when he was in high school.

"What about this?" he asked.

"I want to do it…"

"You don't have to apply till February…"

"I want this, Uncle Kelly. Will you help me?"

"What do you think I can help you with?"

"I want them to look at my application…to look at me…and say 'this is the kind of guy we want'."

Kelly nodded. The kid was serious. There were a lot of factors to consider…and they needed an overall plan.

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Declan got off the bus on the corner near Station 51. He'd come right from school…so he still had his shirt and tie on. He squared his shoulders and walked with a purpose down to the firehouse…where Kelly was waiting outside.

He put his arm around his nephew's shoulders and the two went inside.

Kelly knocked on the door of Boden's office and when he heard Chief tell him to come in…he opened the door and ushered Declan in.

Casey was there…along with Jose Vargas…and Mouch.

"Declan…good to see you, son." Chief said. "Sit down…"

Declan did as he was told.

"Your uncle says you need some help with a project?"

Declan took the brochure from his backpack. He must have looked at it a thousand times in the last week since he got it. He slid it across the desk to the Chief.

Chief picked up the worn brochure and glanced at it. He handed it over to Casey.

"I'm familiar with the program." Chief told him. "It's a good one. Not many of its kind out there."

"I want be a part of that program, Sir." Declan said. "I know it's still too early to apply…but I want to get started now."

"Do you want a letter of recommendation or something?" Boden asked.

"Eventually, yes Sir. But like I told Uncle Kelly…I want this…and I want the selection committee to look at me and say 'this is the guy we want'. I want to stand head and shoulders above the other guys." He said. "Not only that…but I want to be the best candidate they've ever had. And I'd like you to help me figure out how to achieve that goal…Sir."

The men all looked at one another.

That was quite a speech for a fifteen year old boy.

And they had to admire his guts and determination.

"I'll tell you what, Declan." Chief said after a few moments of consideration. "We'll come up with a training schedule…both academic and physical…and as long as you're willing to give us your best effort…the men in this room…and the men and women here at this station will sponsor you as a Candidate for the CPFTA."

A grin broke out across Declan's face that looked to be about a mile wide.

"I promise you, Chief…all of you…I won't let you down!" he said sincerely.

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So Declan began his "training". Mouch was in charge of academic concerns…and he and Declan were already considering how to best present him in his essay that would accompany his application. Declan was already a good student…he'd maintained a 3.5 GPA for his first year in high school…but he wanted to up that to a 3.8.

Kelly took Declan down to his gym and added the boy to his membership. Declan had gone on line and printed out twelve pages of physical fitness requirements and a training schedule for candidates at the Academy. That was his overall guide…and Vargas was gonna work out with him the days when Kelly was on shift.

Boden said Declan should have some community service projects and do some volunteer work to improve his leadership skills…so Declan became a junior assistant coach for the Andy, Jesse and Connor's football team. Then he planned to move on to basketball and baseball…

Kelly was really proud of Declan…the kid was working his ass off to live up to his end of the bargain he made with Boden…and already, the changes were starting to show in the way he walked, the way he carried himself, and the way he looked people in the eye.

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While all this was going on, Kelly got a call from St. Pasqual's. Sister Therese needed to meet with him right away…something about Andy and Jesse.

He raced over to school…wondering what could be so urgent.

When he was buzzed into the front office, he could hear someone yelling in the principal's office.

He opened the door and stepped inside.

"What's goin' on?" he asked.

There was another parent there. A big, burly guy wearing a CPD uniform that just barely reached around his substantial gut. He was red in the face and he had a layer of sweat glistening across his forehead and over his upper lip.

Kelly just stared wide eyed. Whatever this was…this guy looked like he was ready to stroke out.

Maybe he should have brought Shay with him…

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"What's goin' on?" he asked again.

"Mr. Severide…" Sister Therese said wearily. "Sit down…please."

She looked at the other parent.

"You too, Mr. Metcalf."

"_Sergeant _Metcalf…" the man corrected.

Kelly wasn't sure, but he thought he saw the nun roll her eyes heavenward…like she was looking for divine intervention.

"_Sergeant_…Metcalf has some concerns about an incident on the playground yesterday involving Andy and Jesse." Sister Therese began.

Kelly immediately knew where this was going. He'd already heard all about it.

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Hannah Michelotti…the little girl across the street had started kindergarten this year. And yesterday at lunch…some second graders were taunting a group of kindergarteners.

That sounded familiar…

But Hannah had run over to where some of the bigger boys were playing a game where they were hurling tennis balls against a brick wall and catching them. She ran up to Andy…and told him that the big kids were picking on her and her friends.

Andy left the game, followed by his brother and the two boys strode over to where the second graders were mercilessly teasing the group of little girls. One girl was in tears.

"Hey!" Andy said as he stepped right in front of the ringleader. "Why don't you go pick on somebody your own size?"

"Who's gonna make me?" the kid sneered.

Andy and Jesse just looked at one another…not needing to say a word.

"We are." Andy told him.

Jesse just nodded.

"If you touch me…my brother's gonna beat the snot outta you!" the kid told them. "He's a _fifth _grader! I'm gonna go get him!"

"Fine." Andy said, crossing his arms over his chest. "We'll wait right here."

And the second grade bully ran off to get his big brother.

Andy and Jesse just stared down the other second graders…who suddenly weren't feeling so brave.

The ringleader came running back with his brother…and when Andy and Jesse saw who it was, they both cracked a huge smile.

The fifth grader stepped in front of Andy.

"Are you threatenin' my little brother?" he demanded.

"Nope…" Andy replied.

"Are you callin' Spencer a liar?" the kid said as he took a step closer.

"Spencer was pickin' on a bunch of little girls." Andy said calmly. "You really oughtta teach your brother to have better manners."

That pissed the bigger boy off. He doubled up his fists and he was about to take a swing at Andy.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you, Robbie." Jesse said.

"Why the hell not?" Robbie asked.

"You remember what happened the last time you tried to hurt my brother?" Jesse asked.

Robbie Metcalf did remember.

He had knocked Andy down…and Jesse had tackled him and punched him in the mouth. Robbie had to get four stitches.

Not willing to risk that again…especially with his brand new braces…that his father was gonna have to go to the poor house to pay for…Robbie turned around and pulled Spencer off with him.

"C'mon, Spence…you don't wanna play with a bunch of babies…"

Andy and Jesse just watched them go…and when Robbie turned around to make sure the twins weren't gonna follow them…Jesse just waved 'bye-bye' at him…like he would with his baby sister.

Once the bullies had retreated…Andy and Jesse went back to their friends and their game…and five little kindergarten girls looked after them like they were a couple of super heroes.

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Kelly had heard the story from the boys when they got home from school…and that evening Rafe Michelotti, Hannah's father had walked across the street to tell him too.

"I want those kids suspended!" Metcalf demanded. "For threatening my sons!"

Now Kelly rolled his eyes…

"Your son was pickin' on a bunch of kindergarteners! I'm not gonna discipline my sons for defending a little girl!"

"What're you implyin'?" Metcalf shouted as he jumped to his feet and advanced on Kelly.

Kelly just stared at the man.

"I'm not _implyin'_ anything…I'm flat out _sayin'_…your kids are bullies!"

Metcalf was practically on top of Kelly.

"You should teach your kids to mind their own damn business!" he shouted.

"And you should teach_ your_ kids not to go around pickin' on little kids." Kelly replied. "I can see where they get their manners…"

"You punk!" Metcalf roared. "I'm a sergeant for the Chicago Police Department! You don't get to talk to me like that!"

"And I'm a Lieutenant with the fire department…" Kelly said. "And I'll call 'em like I see 'em."

Sister Therese put her hand to her temple…like she felt a migraine coming on.

This was the least pleasant part of her job…dealing with irate parents who thought the rules didn't apply to their kids.

"Enough…." She said. "Enough."

She looked up at Metcalf.

"Lieutenant Severide is right. If anyone needs to be punished it's Robbie and Spencer and the other second graders. Andy and Jesse didn't do anything wrong."

Now Metcalf turned on the nun…and tried to throw his considerable weight around.

"If my kids spend even one minute in detention…I'm pullin' 'em out of this school!"

Sister Therese nodded.

"I think that would be the best solution." She said, folding her hands.

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The whole team was waiting when Kelly got back to the firehouse.

They couldn't wait to hear what happened.

"Well?" Otis asked impatiently.

Kelly wiped his hand down his face.

He shook his head in plain exasperation as he asked…

"Anybody know when the next "Drop a Cop" is…I got somebody in mind."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23-The Trouble Starts**

More than the leaves were changing around Chicago that fall.

All around the firehouse, neighborhoods were rehabbing…new businesses were moving in…older homes and shops were getting a face lift and a fresh coat of paint. It was good…good for the area…good for the city.

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The team was hanging around the common room…watching TV, reading the paper…going on the internet for one thing or another.

Otis was perusing the news…and he stopped on an item about a fire in a bakery about four or five blocks away.

First watch had answered the call…but it was pretty much a bust. The inside of the building was nothing more than a bunch of broken glass, twisted, melted machinery, and ruined food by the time they got there. The only thing to do was to try and save the adjoining stores on the block.

Kelly came in from the apparatus room to get himself a cup of coffee and grab one of the sandwiches Alyssa had made for him. Even though he'd cut back on the workouts after the firefighter's challenge was over…Lyssa still packed the cooler for him. It was better food…better for him…and it tasted better too.

"Hey, Lieutenant…" Otis said, looking up from the paper. "Did you see this thing about the bakery…La Pâtisserie?"

"Heard about it…why?" Kelly asked.

"They're sayin' Arson found some kind of time-delayed incendiary device." Otis told him. "Isn't this like two or three blocks away from Alyssa's store?"

He was right…the thrift shop Alyssa and Kathy had started…Helping Hands…was only a few blocks away.

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But Kelly didn't have time to dwell on the implications of a potential arsonist right down the street.

"Engine 51…Truck 81…Ambulance 61…Squad 3…industrial accident"

Everyone ran for the door…threw on their gear…and jumped on the rigs.

In less than a minute they were rolling out the door.

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When Kelly came home the next morning he was dead on his feet.

The "industrial accident" had turned out to be a massive boiler explosion…and everything in the cavernous warehouse just outside the Loop was in pieces. By the time they got there the initial companies on the scene had water on the actual fire…and Station 51 was primarily charged with search and rescue.

Kelly and Casey and their men had moved into a section of the building adjacent from the blast were over a dozen men were trapped in the rubble.

The team went to work…and slowly but surely got to every man. The last one, though, was the toughest.

Kelly worked for over three hours to free the twenty-five year old man pinned beneath a concrete and steel stab. He had to work carefully…the man had a spinal injury.

Shay and Dawson were there…they got a collar on the guy…got the IV running…got him some morphine…but Kelly and Casey were working as fast as they could.

Kelly tried to keep the victim calm…he talked to him…kept him talking.

The guy…whose name was Daniel…told him it was only his third day on the job. He'd just moved to Chicago with his girlfriend Beth…and they were gonna have a baby.

He begged Kelly to get him out of there…he just wanted to get home…he wanted to see his baby.

That tore at Kelly's heart. He knew what this guy was going through. How many times had he been in a tight spot and his only thought was getting home to Lyssa and the kids? Too many to count…that's how many.

But they got Daniel out…they cut through the concrete and the steel and they peeled back the rubble piece by piece till they could get him on a board and lift him out.

Kelly had slammed the door of the ambulance and hit it three times with the palm of his hand…signaling whoever had jumped in the driver's seat to get moving. He watched as the rig pulled away, speeding off toward Lakeshore…lights flashing…sirens screaming.

Kelly sent up a quick prayer that the guy would be all right…that he'd get to be a father to his kid.

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But that wasn't the end of it…in the middle of the night the bells went off again…and they arrived on the scene of a fire in a little flower shop…not too far from that bakery…and about three blocks from the thrift shop.

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Kelly let himself in his back door…and once he closed it behind him he just leaned against it.

The playroom was a lot more crowded these days…now that Maggie had moved in. In one corner all her dolls and her pink and purple Legos and her tea party threatened to overrun the firehouse and every toy fire engine known to man that had been living there since Kelly and Casey had built this four seasons room.

Lyssa came out of the kitchen.

"Hey, Baby…" she said as she crossed the room.

She slipped her arms up around his neck and Kelly wrapped his around her tiny body and held her close. He tangled his fingers in her hair and breathed in the scent of her shampoo…he loved that. That was home to him…right there in her arms.

He hadn't been able to get the man from the warehouse…Daniel…out of his mind.

"Are you okay, Kelly?" Lyssa asked softly.

She could feel the tension in his upper body…she could tell by the way he was standing that something wasn't exactly right.

"Kelly?"

"I'm just exhausted…" he told her. "Rough shift doesn't even begin to cover it…"

Lyssa searched his eyes…trying to figure out what he needed from her right that moment.

"Is your knee okay?" she asked.

"All of me could prob'ly use a little extra TLC…"he anwered.

His knee did ache…along with his back…his shoulders…

Alyssa gently led him into the kitchen.

"Where're the girls?" he asked.

He'd gotten used to Maggie and Ainsley chattering back and forth in a language only the two of them could understand…not unlike Andy and Jesse's 'twin-speak'. The two little girls were an odd pair…Ainsely with her darker skin, her chocolate brown eyes and curly black hair…Maggie's teal blue eyes and her little lightly freckled nose…and the strawberry blonde curls that looked like Little Orphan Annie…they couldn't look more different. But they were close as sisters after only just a couple months.

"Joey's got some furlough time he needs to use…so he's taking the rest of the week off."

Alyssa's brother worked for the city too…as a mechanic. He maintained all the city's heavy equipment…the street sweepers, the snow plows…the fire trucks. He'd been doing that for twenty years…and he racked up a lot of vacation hours. He needed to use some before the winter set in and he would be on call 24/7.

So no Ainsley for the rest of the week.

"And where's Maggie?"

"Baby jail…" Alyssa answered.

She pointed to a work of art low on the antique white cabinets…and a box of markers somebody had left within the eighteen month old's reach.

Kelly could hear Maggie crying in the living room…she obviously didn't understand why her artistic creativity was being stifled.

He just shook his head.

Lyssa helped him into the living room and settled him on the couch. Then she freed the prisoner into his custody and went to make his breakfast.

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He went into the kitchen when she called him and while he and Maggie ate their pancakes and fruit he told Alyssa about Daniel and the warehouse accident.

He wanted to go by the hospital and see how the guy was doing…

"I think that's a nice idea. Sounds like he maybe could use a friend." Alyssa said as she laid her hand on top of her husband's.

"And there was another fire last night…" he said. "That new flower shop on Irving Park…"

"They've only been open a couple months…" Alyssa said, shaking her head.

She liked that all these quaint little businesses were springing up in the neighborhood…it meant more traffic for the thrift shop…and more donations.

She knew how much work went into developing a business…and she had the Church backing her up. She couldn't begin to imagine sinking everything you had into a place only to have your dreams go up in flames…literally.

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Later that afternoon, after a nap and a long hot shower…Kelly headed over to Lakeshore to see how Daniel was doing…and Alyssa took Maggie with her to the store.

She was behind the counter and Maggie was content in the port-a-crib that was set up for her. She had her princesses…and her books…and there was music playing softly. Sometimes Alyssa sang along while she sorted out donation slips and sales receipts…and the baby was perfectly content.

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The bell over the door tinkled as three men in their early twenties walked in.

It was weird to see men that age around this neighborhood in the middle of the day. Most guys that age were working or going to school. And these guys were dressed to the nines…Italian leather boots…jackets…jeans that cost more than half the items in the store combined. The amount of gold jewelry they wore told Alyssa these were not thrift store shoppers.

One approached the counter…and Alyssa nearly gagged on the stench of his cologne.

She looked him in the eye.

She'd seen guys like this before. She'd grown up with them, gone to school with them…guys who thought they were God's gift to women. Guys that imagined they were smooth operators and anyone would bend to their will.

She'd seen guys like this before…and she usually laughed right in their faces.

"I'm lookin' for da proprietor a dis here establishment…" the guy said.

Oh, Dear God…he couldn't possibly be serious.

"You're lookin' at her…" Alyssa replied evenly.

Not what he was expecting…

"My name's Nicco…" he said.

"What can I do for you?" Alyssa asked.

The sooner this idiot conducted his business…whatever that might be…the sooner he'd get the hell out of her store and she could open the doors to air out the overpowering stench of Italian Machismo.

"I don't know if you heard…but dere's been a few fires in da neighborhood. Places of business…not, uh, unlike dis one."

"As a matter of fact, I had heard that." Alyssa said. "My husband's a firefighter."

Again…Nicco wasn't expecting that.

Alyssa could practically see the wheels turning in his little brain as he tried to regroup.

"You seem like a nice lady…" Nicco said.

Alyssa raised her eyebrows.

"It'd be a shame if anything was to happen here…if you know what I mean."

"No…I don't know what you mean." Alyssa said as she laid her pencil down. "I don't know if you bothered to read the sign outside…but this business is operated in conjunction with the local parish. Around this neighborhood…people still have a lot of respect for the Church. We don't get any trouble around here."

She stared the young man in the eye.

She could see she'd touched some deep seated nerve.

He swallowed hard.

"I can understand dat…I'm a Catholic myself…"

"So you do understand when I say this is a nice neighborhood. Everybody here's like _familigia_…"

The use of the Italian word for family touched another nerve…she could see it.

"You understand…don't you?" she said. "_Compatrioti_…no?"

She'd just let him know she was Italian too…

Nicco nodded.

He couldn't mess with her…an Italian, a Catholic, a married woman…a mother.

"_Capice_?" Alyssa asked.

"_Capice_…" Nicco almost whispered. "_Ciao, Senorna_…"

Alyssa smiled…and Nicco rounded up his crew and left the store.

Alyssa turned around and picked her daughter up out of the port-a-crib.

"And that, Baby Girl, is how you handle a _bravaccio_…"

Maggie giggled.

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Kelly came in just as Alyssa was putting dinner on the table…and he smiled when he saw the Chicken Cacciatore come out of the oven. One of Alyssa's specialties…and one of his favorites.

Still it was unusual to see it on a weeknight…and not have it be a special occasion. This was something for Sunday dinner…and usually when they had company. It was Casey's absolute, hands-down favorite…and Mills and Dawson loved it too.

He caught his wife around the waist as she was just checking the pasta…the thick curly noodles she made herself from her Nonna's recipe.

"What's the occasion?" he asked as he leaned down to kiss her.

"No occasion…" she said. "I just felt like Italian tonight…"

"You feel like Italian every night…" he said in a teasing voice. "This feels Italian…"

He slid his hand down to cup her ass…

"And this feels Italian…" he went on as his other hand slid up to her breast.

"Okay, Severide…" she told him. "Not when three kids are in the next room…I personally do _not _want to have to have _'the talk' _with the twins when they ask 'what's daddy doing'?"

He laughed.

"You're right…you're right." He said. "I guess I'm gonna take a cold shower before dinner…"

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The calls didn't stop…

"Engine 51…Truck 81…Ambulance 61…Squad 3…"

It was a new restaurant…in the neighborhood.

It wasn't a huge place…but it was no hole in wall either.

Inside was a nightmare…lots of tapestries hanging on the walls…lots of artificial plants and trees, meant to give the feel that each little section of booths and tables was in its own little yard.

Kelly had been there not more than three weeks ago…he and Alyssa along with her brothers and their wives. Alyssa said it felt familiar…like home. And Tony and Jimmy told her that it was like eating in the backyard of their great-grandmother's house…Nonna Beatricia. Alyssa had only been about four or five when she passed.

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Now he stepped off the squad. They hadn't had to roll right away on this one.

Last to show…first to go…

He remembered Casey had said that once a long, long time ago…

"You guys do such a good job gettin' everything set up for us…why would we wanna take that away from you?" he'd replied.

Then Casey had said something like…

"They make the Rescue Squad helmets extra big so they can fit their heads in 'em."

And Kelly had fired back with…

"There are two kinds of firefighters…those on Squad…" he had said, pointing to himself… "And those who wish they were on Squad."

And he had pointed to Casey…who made a face like "ooohhh…"

That was years ago…after they lost Andy Darden…and there was a layer of animosity between the two of them so thick you needed a K-12 to cut it.

Thank God they'd put all that behind them.

But for some reason those words…that not so good natured back and forth…all came rushing back to him. He felt something ominous in the air…something that made him quicken his step as he headed toward the blazing inferno that was once a quaint family style restaurant.

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"Casey and his men are inside…" Boden said. "They're conducting a primary search…but there's a lot of ground to cover. Get in there and give 'em a hand."

Kelly nodded and pulled on his mask.

As he ran toward the building an explosion shook the street beneath his feet. The few remaining windows blew out and Severide and his men all instinctively ducked their heads and crouched down low.

"Casey!" he hollered as he jumped back to his feet and ran inside.

"Casey!" Boden's voice thundered over the radio "Casey! Acknowledge!"

Inside the restaurant…it was what Kelly imagined Hell must look like. He made his way from one pile of broken…burning table and chairs to another while he listened for any sign that might give him a direction.

"Casey! Hermann! Cruz!" Boden was shouting for anyone now. "Otis! Somebody acknowledge, damnit!"

Then Kelly heard a PASS alarm…then another.

"This way!" he shouted.

He followed the sound through one of the rooms in the back…one that could accommodate large parties…the very one where he had been when he ate there with his family.

He found Otis and a civilian down…it looked like a young man…maybe a bus boy...

It was about one-thirty in the morning. It was conceivable there could still be people cleaning up.

Mills grabbed the civilian and hoisted the young man over his shoulder. He was small…slightly built. He might not be much more than sixteen. Kelly and Clark grabbed Otis and started back the way they came.

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Another PASS alarm went off…

Kelly passed Boden on his way out. Boden was in full gear…ready for action. This was an all hands on deck situation.

"In the back!" he yelled as he and Clark carried Otis out.

They basically delivered their victims to Shay and Dawson and turned around and ran back.

They still had at least three men to get…and Boden and the relief for Capp were alone in there.

He heard Dawson on the radio calling Command for six more ambulances.

Back in the building he passed Chief again…Chief was walking Cruz out. Cruz was staggering…like he was dazed. Mills moved to help…

"No! I got him!" Chief shouted. "Find Casey and Hermann!"

The reliever emerged from the smoke carrying a woman in his arms.

Severide retraced his steps…following the sound of the PASS alarms. He worked his way through the room where they had found Otis, glancing left and right as he went for more bodies, but undeterred from his mission…get to Casey and Hermann!

Mills and Clark were right on his 'six' as they made their way into the kitchen.

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In the rubble of the dishwashing area they found Hermann and another civilian.

"Get them outta here!" Kelly hollered to his men as he went further into the kitchen.

He was running out of time and he knew it.

"Casey!" he yelled. "Call out!"

Call out, damn you…

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He heard another PASS alarm.

That had to be Casey!

He followed the sound down a narrow hallway…and there he found his fellow Lieutenant!

Severide worked furiously to clear the burning pieces of collapsed ceiling that were on top of his friend. Once he'd gotten the biggest ones he grabbed Matt under the arms and pulled with all his might.

Boden ran into the hallway.

"Severide!" He called out.

"Here, Chief! I got Casey!"

The chief was there in an instant and together the two men carried the unconscious firefighter back through the kitchen…back the way they came.

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Kelly had never been so happy to be outside in all his life! He and Boden laid Casey in the street and quickly stripped off their own masks and gloves. They pulled off Matt's gear as fast as they could and checked him for any signs of life.

Two paramedics he didn't know ran over with a gurney and they just scooped and ran. Kelly followed them…he didn't care that he hadn't been ordered to. He'd served with Matt for over twenty years…they hadn't always seen eye to eye and they butted heads a lot…but through it all, Matt was one of his closest friends, one of the people he counted on the most in his life…his sons' godfather.

Inside the ambulance one of the paramedics was fitting an oxygen mask over Casey's nose and mouth…the other had his shirt cut open and was slapping electrodes into position.

Kelly looked over to the monitor. Matt's heart was beating…thank God.

"Go…" the one medic hollered out.

The ambulance lurched forward and Kelly had to grab hold as he sank down beside Casey.

They were trying to get the IV going…not an easy thing when you're racing through the city streets at seventy miles an hour. Once they had a line established the second medic pushed an amp of Epi.

Casey's heart rate sped up a little…and they started a second line.

"BP's up to 72 over 50…" the first medic said.

Severide breathed a sigh of relief.

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They pulled into the ambulance bay and were met by a team of doctors and nurses.

They tugged the gurney off the rig and barreled through the doors of the ER, heading for a Trauma Room.

Feeling helpless, Kelly stood outside the closed door…watching through the window. He wished he could be in there…but Matt needed people far more skilled than his basic EMT training. He pulled out his phone…and hit number one on his speed dial.

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"Kelly?" Lyssa answered breathlessly as the call went through.

Her phone going off at two a.m. was never a good thing.

"Kelly…are you all right?"

"I'm fine." He choked out. "Casey…"

His thoughts were reeling. He just needed to calm down…to think clearly.

"What happened to Matt?" Lyssa asked.

Kelly could hear her moving around. He pictured her turning on the light and reaching for her clothes. As soon as she could get somebody over to be with the kids, she'd be in the car. He knew that as certainly as he knew his own name.

That's exactly what he needed her to do.

"There was an explosion…he got trapped…" Kelly said. "It's bad, Lys."

"I'll be there as soon as I can, Baby. Are you hurt?"

"No…but I came in with Casey…" he said.

He could hear her let her breath out. At least she knew he wasn't hurt.

Lyssa might love Matt like another brother…but she was still worried about her husband first and foremost.

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The team started arriving…not even going back to the house to shower and change.

The restaurant was a smoldering pile of rubble…there were two civilians dead…five more injured…and four firefighters.

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Alyssa arrived and went straight to Kelly. He'd never hugged her as tight as he did right then…and after she had to tell him to loosen his grip…she couldn't breathe…she led him to a seat.

She got him a cup of water from the dispenser across the room and sat down beside him.

As she rubbed gentle circles against his back he told her everything…the explosion right after he arrived…the PASS alarms…finding Matt down in the hall.

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An hour passed…then another.

Finally a doctor came out into the room where the families of the injured firefighters had been gathered. Casey's sister was there…Cruz's brother, Hermann's wife and Otis's parents. And the entire team from Station 51 waited right along with them.

He told them everyone was alive…they'd all been knocked out by the concussive force of the explosion. They had some broken bones…a lot of bruises…but all four of them would make a full recovery. They were all conscious…they were all talking…they were all stable.

A tremendous sense of relief washed over everyone in the room.

The family members were taken back…and the firefighters hugged one another and slapped each other on the backs.

And Kelly just sank back down into the chair he'd been sitting in.

Alyssa sat down beside him and put her arms around him.

"It's gonna be okay, Baby…it's gonna be okay. You got 'em out…and they're gonna be okay." She whispered.

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Once they'd moved everyone upstairs to their rooms Kelly and Alyssa finally got a chance to see everyone.

They crept softly to Casey's bedside…he looked like he might be sleeping…but Kelly just needed to see with his own eyes that his friend was alive and whole…so he could tell Andy and Jesse.

Matt opened his eyes.

"Hey…" he said in a weak voice.

"Hey yourself…" Kelly answered.

"That was a close one…" Casey said. "Thanks for bein' there…thanks for havin' my back."

"You've always had mine." Kelly said.

That's what brothers did…wasn't it? It didn't matter if those relationships were forged in blood…or in fire.

"Bring Andy and Jesse tomorrow?" Casey asked. "So they see I'm okay?"

"Absolutely." Kelly answered. "I'll bring 'em after school."

Matt nodded his thanks.

"We'll let you get some sleep…" Alyssa said softly, as she took a step closer to the bed and leaned down to kiss Casey's cheek.

Then Kelly stepped up…and Matt held up his hand.

Kelly took it…and Matt squeezed firmly.

Everything was going to be all right…Kelly told himself as he and Alyssa left the room. Everything was gonna be fine. The guys were okay…and they'd be back at work before anyone knew it…

But he still couldn't shake that bad feeling…the feeling that things were about to get a whole lot worse.


End file.
